Caring for another person can have a huge impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing. People who care for another adult can request to have a carer’s assessment. This looks at the impact that their care duties have on their lives and decides whether they are eligible for any support.
Each country in the UK has a slightly different system:
- England: Carer’s Assessment
- Scotland: Adult Carer’s Support Plan
- Wales: Carer’s Needs Assessment
- Northern Ireland: Carer’s Assessment
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At a glance
- Who can apply: Adults who regularly look after another adult without pay because of illness, disability, or age-related needs can request an assessment, whether they live with that person or care for them.
- How to request one: You can contact your local council by phone, email, or mail to ask for a carer’s assessment, following the social care rules that apply in your part of the UK.
- What the assessment covers: The assessment looks at how your caring duties affect your mental and physical health, everyday life, work, personal relationships, and your ability to keep caring.
- Possible support available: Carers who qualify can get a support plan that offers practical help, temporary care so they can have a break, activities to reduce stress, or financial help.
Who can have a carer’s assessment?
You may be able to request a carer’s assessment if you regularly provide unpaid care for another adult and the following apply to you and the person you care for:
- You are aged 18 or over
- The person you care for is aged 18 or over
- The person you care for is ill, disabled or elderly
- Your caring responsibilities are full or part-time
- You provide care such as help with:
- Washing and dressing
- Preparing or eating food
- Administering medication
- Housework and maintenance
- Driving them around or helping them with public transport
- Feeding, cleaning out or walking their pet
- Managing personal affairs such as their finances
You don’t have to live with the person you care for or be their sole carer in order to request a carer’s assessment. If supporting them is a regular commitment that they rely on, and you juggle this alongside your other commitments, you could be eligible for support.
How do I get a carer’s assessment?
You can request a carer’s assessment (or your country’s equivalent) by contacting your local council.
You can contact them by telephone or write a letter or email.You can request a carer’s assessment, or the equivalent where you live, by contacting your local council or relevant social care service. Depending on where you live, different legislation applies:
- England: Request a carer’s assessment under the Care Act (2014)
- Scotland: Request an assessment for an Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) under the Social Care Act (2013)
- Wales: Request a carer’s needs assessment under the Social Services and Well-being Act (2014)
- Northern Ireland: Request a carer’s assessment under the Carers and Direct Payments Act (2002)
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What happens in the carer’s assessment?
A carer’s assessment looks at how caring affects your everyday life and wellbeing. This could include your physical and mental health, work, relationships, social life and whether you have enough time for yourself.
It is also an opportunity to discuss any difficulties or concerns you have about your caring role, including whether you feel able and willing to continue providing care.
Assessments can take place in person, over the phone or online, and you may be able to have someone with you. You may also be able to self-assess using a written or online form; you will then be contacted to discuss your answers.
You and the assessor should discuss:
- Your caring commitments
- How these commitments affect you
- Whether you feel able to cope with the amount of caring you do
- Whether you are willing or able to continue with caring and for how long, plus options for if you stopped
- What support you feel would help you, your goals in getting a carer’s assessment
- Your living situation and how this corresponds with your caring duties
What support could I get after a carer’s assessment?
If you are assessed as having eligible needs, your local authority will look at options for support for either you or the person you care for.
Your support plan should take your needs and circumstances into account. If you do not think the suggested support is right for you, you can discuss other options with your local authority. Once in agreement, your local authority will draw up a support plan, which must be regularly reviewed to ensure that the support you are receiving is working and to keep up with any changes to your needs or circumstances.
Support could be:
Practical support
- Professional care for the person you care for to give you a break or regular breaks from caring
- Any equipment that would help you or the person you care for. For example, a mobility scooter would give the person greater independence and mean that you wouldn’t need to push them in a wheelchair anymore
- Driving lessons
- Help with housework
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Emotional support
- An activity to help relieve stress or carer burnout such as a gym membership or other club
- Counselling
Financial support
- Help with costs that you accrue from caring, such as travel and transport costs
- Your assessor may recommend that you apply for certain benefits that you are not receiving, such as Carer’s Allowance
Who pays for my support?
Any support to you as a carer should be paid for by the local authority.
This is usually done by one of three ways:
- You arrange your support and the council gives you money to pay for it.
- You arrange your support and the council pays for it.
- The council arranges and pays for your support for you.
Support for the person you care for may or may not be paid for by the local authority, such as if they have a professional carer come in regularly to give you a break, they would have the same needs assessment and means test as anybody else receiving professional care.
Next steps
- Contact your local council: Get in touch with your local adult social care team by phone, email, or letter to ask for a free carer’s assessment, mentioning your legal right under your country’s care laws.
- Prepare a summary of your caring duties: Before the assessment, write down the tasks you do, how many hours you spend caring, and how it affects your physical health, mental well-being, work, and personal life.
- Agree on a support plan and explore funding: Work with your assessor to explain the practical, emotional, or break-from-care support you need, and apply for council-funded help, direct payments, or benefits that apply to you.
FAQs
What support is there for carers?
Unpaid carers can be eligible for practical, financial and emotional support to help them manage their care duties and daily life. The support depends on the person’s needs, but could be a professional carer, therapy or even driving lessons
How can I ask for support as a carer?
You can request a carer’s assessment from your local council. Through this, they can assess your duties as a carer, what you find difficult and what support they could put in place to help you. They may also start to put in place a long-term solution if you feel you cannot continue your caring duties for much longer.
Who is a carer’s assessment for?
Carer’s assessments are for adults who support other adults with certain needs, and this support is not their profession. Often the carer will be juggling your care duties with other commitments such as work and childcare, or be struggling due to being elderly or ill themselves. Caring duties could include support with a range of tasks, from eating to pet care to managing finances.