Providing substantial or regular care to someone in their own home can entitle a carer to an assessment of their needs so that they can access services to help them to continue caring. You can ask for a Carers Assessment even if the cared for person is not receiving a service from social care.
Substantial means that you provide a level of care that should you be unable to continue to do, the person you care for would be eligible for community care services. Regular means that you always or nearly always meet the persons needs when it arises.
You can ask for a Carer’s Assessment by contacting Halton Borough Council’s Initial Assessment Team via email on hdl@halton.gov.uk, or ring your local Direct Link on 0151 907 8306 / 0151 511 7676.
The assessment is an opportunity to discuss what support you may need and will look at how caring affects your life, including physical, mental and emotional needs, and whether you are able or willing to carry on caring.
You can be accompanied by someone else at your Carer Assessment, as it’s important that you feel able to have your views clearly heard. When the assessment is complete, the local authority must decide whether the carer’s needs are ‘eligible’ for support.
The carer will be entitled to support if:
- They are providing ‘necessary care’.
- They are unable to achieve any one of the 8 outcomes set out in the Care Act regulations.
- Caring has a significant impact on their wellbeing.
Necessary care is providing care to a person who is not capable of meeting their care needs themselves. The care provided will usually be as a result of an illness, disability, mental health problem or an addiction. The Care Act places a legal duty on all local authorities to promote wellbeing. In trying to assess how your wellbeing is affected by your caring role you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire. The questionnaire is widely used nationally and is supported by Public Health.