A Carer's Assessment looks at & your needs as an unpaid carer and the impact of your caring role, including the practical and emotional support you provide. It also considers the impact on activities outside the care you provide such as your work, education, training and other activities as well as your mental and physical health.
Don't be put off by the word 'assessment'. It is not to test how good you are at caring, and you won’t be judged.
What Is A Carer's Assessment?
If you’re over 18 and provide regular unpaid care for someone (aged over 18), you’re entitled to a carer’s assessment.
This is your chance to talk about the support you need in your caring role.
The Care Act 2014 makes carer’s assessments more widely available to people in caring roles. Local authorities now have a legal duty to assess any carer who requests one or who appears to need support.
You don’t have to live with the person you care for to be eligible for an assessment, and even if you share the care with someone else, you are both entitled to a carer’s assessment of your own.
If the person you care for refuses help and support from social care services, you are still entitled to a carer’s assessment
The assessment helps you think about whether you’re able and willing to keep providing care, both now and in the future. Many carers find that having the right support makes a huge difference.
A carer’s assessment can help identify what you need and what support is available to make your role easier. If your assessment identifies that you have needs due to your caring role, both you and the assessor will create a support plan detailing how these needs will be met.
This may include access to community support, paid services, social care assistance or a direct payment.
If you have been assessed as having eligible needs, you may be offered a direct payment. Generally, direct payments for carers are a one-off payment given to support the carer to have some time to look after their own wellbeing.
For example, the payment could be used to go to the gym, or pay for driving lessons or a holiday/short break. These are sometimes called a Carer Direct Payment or Carer Budget Payment. They do not count as income and therefore would not affect any other benefits you might be receiving.
Who Can Have A Carer's Assessment?
The Care Act 2014 makes carers assessments more widely available to people in caring roles. Local authorities now have a legal duty to assess any carer who requests one or who appears to need support. If you regularly care for someone aged 18 or over on a regular basis, you are entitled to a carer’s assessment.
You don’t have to live with the person you care to be eligible for an assessment and even if you share the care with someone else you are both entitled to a carers assessment in your own.
If the person you care for refuses help and support from social care services, you are still entitled to a carers assessment.
How Do I Get A Carer's Assessment?
Solihull Council is responsible for carrying out carer’s assessments where the person who needs care lives in the borough of Solihull. You can check this by finding out who the person you care for pays council tax to and who provides their council services. The council where the person with care needs lives is responsible for providing a carers assessment for the carer.
Therefore Solihull Council are responsible for carrying out a carers assessment if you (the carer) live in another local authority, as long as the person you care for live in Solihull.
If you (the carer) live in Solihull but you care for someone in another area, you would need to get in touch with their local authority for a carers assessment.
If the person you care for is supported by our adult social care teams, you can request a carer’s assessment, you can:
- Call: 0121 704 8007
- Email: ccadults@solihull.gov.uk
Carers Trust Solihull are commissioned by Solihull Council to carry out Carers Assessments and support to carers. You can contact us:
- Call: 0121 788 1143
- Email: centre@solihullcarers.org
- Use the Contact Us page by clicking here
What Happens During A Carer's Assessment?
With Carers Trust Solihull, your assessment will take place at a time and place most convenient for you. Whether this is at your home, a private place you are comfortable, via phone or a video call. How long it takes depends on your situation and how much you share but expect around one to two hours on average.
If you find it hard to understand, remember, or communicate information, you may want to have an advocate. An advocate is someone who can help you express yourself, make sure your voice is heard, and support you throughout the assessment.
During the assessment, we’ll talk with you about:
how caring affects your own wellbeing
- your support network, e.g., family, friends, services.
how it impacts the important areas of your life
what you’d like to achieve in your day-to-day life
whether you work or would like to work
whether you study or are interested in studying
whether you’d like to be more socially active
We’ll also discuss how you feel about continuing in your caring role, and explore any changes that could help you keep providing care while also improving your own quality of life.
What Happens After A Carer's Assessment?
After your assessment, our Carer practitioner will write up your assessment and support plan and send a copy to you to approve and any other information discussed. If you have been assessed as having eligible needs, your support plan may include a direct payment.
Generally, direct payments are a one-off payment given to support a carer, to have some time to look after their own wellbeing. For example, the payment could be used to go to the gym, or pay for driving lessons or a holiday/short break. This payment does not count as income and therefore would not affect any other benefits you might be receiving.
Your eligibility for care and support from Solihull Council will depend on how your assessment matches the outcomes set out in the national eligibility criteria.
Your actual care and support budget will be confirmed once your carer’s support plan has been created. This helps ensure the costs of your support are fully understood.
Solihull Care and Support services will review your support plan within six to eight weeks. This review may be carried out over the phone.
Further reviews will take place a minimum of once every 12 months. We will ask if you would like to have a joint review alongside the person you care for. Like with a joint assessment, this will be beneficial in coordinating the care and support for you both.
Download Forms & Documents
Below you will find downloadable copies of the documents that will be used during your assessment. Clicking the link will automatically download the forms from Solihull Council’s website. Some of the files are large documents, so may take extra time to download and load on your device, depending on your internet speed and device’s capabilities.
- Consent to Share Information document
- How your budget is decided document
- Carer’s Assessment questions document
- Carer’s Assessment Simple Review questions document
- Carer’s Assessment Full Review questions document
- Joint Carer’s Supplement questions document
Further Resources
Benefits and eligibility can be complex issues, and we always encourage you to access specialised support for your situation. You can get free support and advice from The Community Advice Hubs and Citizens Advice Bureau.
Read more helpful guides to assist you with your caring journey!
