Carers Assessments

In England, millions of people provide unpaid care or support for an adult family member, friend or neighbour, either in their own home or somewhere else. Caring for someone covers lots of different things, like helping with washing, dressing or eating, ensuring medication is being taken correctly, taking someone to regular appointments or being a companion when they are anxious or lonely.

The Care Act 2014 came into effect on 1st April 2015 and it changes the way care and support is provided in England. If the person you care for is an adult (18+), you may be able to get more help to look after your own wellbeing and carry on caring.

Since April 2015, you are entitled to a Carer’s Assessment if you appear to have needs.

What is a Carer’s Assessment?

Hertfordshire County Council can help you find the right support and you can ask them for a Carer’s Assessment at any time. The purpose of the Carer’s Assessment is not to judge the care that you provide it about looking at the different ways that caring affects your life and work out how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family. It should cover your caring role, your feelings about caring, how caring affects your work, leisure, education, wider family and relationships. Your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing will be at the heart of this assessment. The assessment should also include a discussion about an ‘in case of emergency plan’ (see factsheet G11a).

As a result of an assessment, you may be eligible for support from your council, who will offer you advice and guidance to help you with your caring responsibilities. The Carer’s Assessment will help to decide what care and support you need and how much help Hertfordshire County Council can give you. You can have a Carer’s Assessment even if the person you care for does not get any help from Herts County Council. You don’t need the permission of the person you care for to request a Carer’s Assessment, you are entitled to one in your own right.

If you share the care of your family member or friend with someone else, each individual who provides unpaid care will be entitled to their own Carer’s Assessment.

You won’t be financially assessed as part of the Carer’s Assessment but you might be asked about what impact the cost of caring is having on your finances. Hertfordshire County Council will not charge carers for support services they offer. As a result of the Carer’s Assessment, you may be eligible for support via a direct payment to spend on the things that would make caring easier or practical support like help with respite opportunities.

How do I get an assessment?

Carer’s Assessments are usually completed by a social worker. If you care for an adult with a physical disability in Hertfordshire, you can ask for a Carer’s Assessment by contacting Hertfordshire County Council’s Adult Care Services (ACS) on 0300 123 4042 or via the Hertfordshire County Council Website. If you have been refused help prior to 2015, ask for an assessment again, as the criteria for getting help are different under the 2014 Care Act.

Carer’s assessments for carers of someone with a mental health problem is carried out by Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust (HPFT). Please contact them on 0800 644 4101 to request an assessment. Further information about their process is available on the HPFT website in their Carer Handbook.

You should be given a written copy of the Carer’s Assessment after it has been completed, this should summarise your discussions and give details of your individual support plan. Only sign the document if you are happy that this an accurate summary of your discussions and the plan agreed.

If you have any concerns regarding the assessment process from Adult Care Services, or the outcomes, do contact them to discuss further on 0300 123 4042.

If you are caring for a disabled child or you are a young carer

If you are a young carer (under 18 years of age) or a parent carer of a disabled child under 18, you have similar rights to assessment and support but they are covered by the 2014 Children and Families Act. Please contact Hertfordshire County 0-25 Service, by calling 0300 123 4043 to discuss your caring circumstances.

Preparing for a Carer’s Assessment

Some things you may want to think about when preparing for the Carer’s Assessment:

• Do you get enough sleep?
• How is your health affected by your caring role?
• Do you get any time for yourself?
• Are your other family and friendship relationships affected?
• Do you have any financial concerns?
• Are you finding it difficult to juggle work and caring?
• Is the person you care for getting enough help?
• What sort of services might help you – services that give you a break, emotional support, help with household tasks, help with caring tasks during the day/night, activities for the person you care for?
• Does the person you care for have difficulty moving about in the home?
• Would aids or adaptations to your home make life easier for you and the person you look after?
• Other interests – are you interested in training or adult education? Do you want to pursue leisure interests but feel you can’t because of your caring role?
• How many hours a week do you care? Include all the time you spend with the person you care for and the tasks you do for them.
• How would you deal with emergencies and unplanned events – Do you know who to contact in an emergency?
• Is this a review assessment? How has your situation changed and what new challenges are you facing?

The following websites contain further information about Carer’s Assessments and the Carers Act 2014:
Carers: How to get help and assistance (Hertfordshire County Council)
Having a Carer’s Assessment – Carers UK
Carer’s Assessment 0-25 service (Hertfordshire County Council)