Get a carer's assessment

If you are over 18 and look after someone, you now have a right to have a carers assessment if you appear to need support.

The cared for person must live in the city, although the carer can live in another area and still be entitled to have a carers assessment.

What will we ask carers?

The three questions a carer will be asked are:

• Are your needs the result of providing necessary care to someone
• Does your caring role affect your ability to achieve any of the outcomes (below)?
• Is there a significant impact on your wellbeing as a result of the above?

We will assess if the carer's physical or mental health is, or is at risk of, deteriorating, or the carer is unable to achieve any of the following outcomes:

• carrying out any caring responsibilities the carer has for a child
• other parenting or caring responsibilities for a child
• providing care to other persons for whom the carer provides care
• maintaining a habitable home environment
• managing and maintaining nutrition
• developing and maintaining family or other significant personal relationships
• accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
• making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community including recreational facilities or services
• engaging in recreational facilities.

Wellbeing covers the areas below:

• personal dignity (including treatment of the individual with respect)
• physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing
• protection from abuse and neglect
• control by the individual over day-to-day life (including over care and support provided and the way it provided)
• participation in work, education, training or recreation
• social and economic well-being
• domestic, family and personal
• suitability of living accommodation
• the individual’s contribution to society.

What if the adult needing care or a carer is not eligible?

When the adult needing care and support is not eligible for services, the carer is still entitled to have a carers assessment because the carers assessment is about the carer and not the cared for person.

What if the carer is not eligible?

Once the carers assessment has been carried out and the carer is found not to meet the eligibility criteria, we have to provide information and advice on what can be done to meet or reduce the needs and what can be done to prevent or delay the development of needs in the future.