What happens at an assessment?
A carer assessment gives you the opportunity to:
- discuss your caring role with a social care professional
- consider how caring impacts on your life and your health and wellbeing
- identify the type of support you need to help sustain your caring role
- think about what you would like to achieve outside of your caring role
- develop a plan for yourself
A carer assessment is not:
- a test of your ability to care
- related to welfare and carer benefits
Requesting a carer assessment
We can arrange for a face to face meeting with a professional e.g. a social worker (or over the phone if you prefer). If the person you are caring for is also having an assessment, your carer assessment will normally be carried out by the same person, unless you request a different person. This can be done at the same time if you like.
You can:
- speak to the social worker assessing the person you care for
- contact Carers Bucks on 0300 777 2722 or visit their website for information on arranging an assessment.
Before your carer assessment
To help you get ready for your assessment you will be given a self-assessment form. This has similar questions to the carer assessment and can help you prepare and give you time to think about your role as a carer and what support you might need. You don't need to complete this but it can help you prepare for the meeting.
You may want to think about:
- Your caring role – what sort of things do you do for the person you care for? How often? How long does it take?
- Your health and wellbeing – do you have health problems? Are you stressed? Do you have difficulty sleeping?
- Your life outside caring – Do you have time to pursue leisure interests, sporting activities, or social pastimes? Do you have opportunities for a break from caring?
- Work and learning – Do you need support to stay at work or to return to work? Do you want to retrain or access further education?
- Recognition as a carer – Do you feel involved in the support planning for the person you care for? Do you feel you have a choice about what caring you do? Do you feel you receive the support you need?
- Planning ahead – have you thought about what happens if there is an emergency? Do you have anxieties about the future? Do you need help to plan?
The person completing the assessment with you will help you to think about how best to support you in your caring. We have to make the best use of the money we have available and assessments help to identify those in greatest need. We use the needs identified in your assessment alongside guidelines called “eligibility criteria” to help us decide how we may support you and whether you are eligible for services.