Carer’s Assessment

Created: 25/06/2025, Bright Futures @Ruils

Who by? Bright Futures @Ruils

Why might it be of interest?

Anyone who is a carer – a parent carer or a carer for an older person, disabled person, etc – can request a carer’s assessment to look at their needs; how they are coping and what support they might need to maintain their caring role.

If you or your young person are already known to an adult social care team then you should request the assessment via that team.

If you are unknown to adult social care then you will start with the First Contact team and then be allocated to Michelle’s team – CAST – and possibly pass onto another relevant team.

We’re going to use a term here that none of us really like but it makes it clear who we are talking about – cared for – ie the person you are caring for. Your cared for does not have to have had their own assessment for you, as their carer, to be eligible for your own carer’s assessment. I appreciate it might make it easier to get a carer’s assessment if there is an identified cared for with assessed needs but it is not necessary.

Who is a carer?

In this context it is someone who provides unpaid care and support to another person. They don’t have to live with the person – or even live in the same local authority.

When and how is a carer’s assessment completed

A carer’s assessment is often completed following a Care Act assessment of the needs of the cared for. However, you can request one at any time. Once completed it should be reviewed annually.

It may start with completing an online form. But this should be followed up with a conversation with a person to complete the assessment. Face to face is ideal but it may be by phone if that is your preference.

How it all pans out will vary with the experience and training of the person doing the assessment. It may feel more like a conversation, directed by the assessor to gather the information they need; or it may feel more like a questionnaire! Either way the assessor is trying to gather information about your caring role, how you are managing and what social care can do to support you.

This leaflet has more information about the process: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18182/asc_what_carers_-assessment_is.pdf

Why have a carer’s assessment?

There should be some benefits to you! Key benefits include:

Emotional support opportunities
Identifying your strengths
Creating a contingency plan – what would happen in an emergency
One off grants (occasionally ongoing monthly grants)

Don’t dismiss signposting to local services – we may think we know all about what’s available locally but we often don’t and especially when there are new services and sometimes even grants! You don’t have to be a full time carer – anyone who cares, even a neighbour who does some shopping and cooking for another person is a carer. And both parents in a family can be carers.

Carer’s assessment payments are not means tested and Michelle has had success in getting one off payments for clients where she has been able to justify the need by demonstrating a positive effect on the carer’s mental health and wellbeing. Larger payments have to be agreed further up the management chain with some payments going to a panel.

A grant will not be agreed for anything that can be accessed for free. So you are unlikely to get a grant for counselling or massage, for example, as both of these are offered for free by Richmond Carers Centre – albeit with a waiting list.

Michelle’s successes have included horse riding (client had found it beneficial when younger); driving lessons; contribution towards a gym or club membership (a grant won’t pay the whole of a David Lloyd membership but may pay the amount of a local gym membership); reflexology. The key here is that there is a demonstrable benefit to the health and wellbeing of the client which would help them carry on with their caring role.

As a carer you are saving the local authority a LOT of money so you shouldn’t be shy in asking for some small help towards supporting your own wellbeing. The upshot of a carer’s assessment should be to identify what would help you manage your caring role better.

Who will look after your cared for?

This can be a sticking point – you get some funding to allow you to join a gym but who is going to look after your cared for while you are away from them? Any carer’s grant will not cover the cost of someone to look after your cared for – it is to pay for the activity that will benefit you.

If your cared for has their own package then you may be able use the hours in that package to cover your time away.

In Richmond, Crossroad Care has respite options – but it also has a waiting list. We would recommend registering with Crossroads to find out more about what they can offer. We understand that they can offer 2 hours of free respite per week but if you can pay the hourly rate of £28 for 2 hours they will match it and you get 4 hours (so basically £14.25 per hour which is pretty good!)

Crossroads can also provide emergency care – but you do need to be registered with them. This is a link to their adult services: https://crossroadscarerk.org/adult-services/.

Richmond Carers Centre can offer small grants of up to £250 which are flexible in their use. This is a link to services for adults: https://www.richmondcarers.org/services/services-for-adult-carers/.

Care Technology: apparently Richmond has a good technology offering to support your caring role. This can vary from a smartphone or laptop to video doorbells, Alexa, falls buttons, sensors, etc. Technology won’t replace a carer but some devices and apps might support you or your cared for. This is the leaflet: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/i5cpd30k/asc_technology_to_help_you_stay_independent.pdf

There are likely many apps that could help but we talked briefly about Brain in Hand: https://www.braininhand.co.uk/ and https://autono.me.uk/. I haven’t looked into these apps so if anyone has any experience of them – or others – they would like to share that would be great. These are not free apps and are most likely aimed at our more able young people.

Carers Emergency Card

This is basically a contingency plan about what to do in an emergency. You carry a credit card sized card with your mosaic number (this is a local social services allocated number) and contact numbers. The card doesn’t carry any information but it identifies you as a carer with information about who to contact in an emergency when you can’t carry out your usual duties as a carer.

Crossroads are commissioned in Richmond to provide emergency care in the home for up to 48 hours – possibly longer if needed. It is means tested so not a free service if you can afford to pay. But at the point of needing the service Crossroads will provide it and you will be invoiced later.

Eligibility

You need to have eligible needs to get support. ‘Eligible needs’ means if:

your caring responsibilities are affecting your mental or physical health, or risk doing so in the future,
you cannot do one or more of the following things:
look after any children
care for other people who you want to
look after your home
prepare food, eat well and look after your diet
have personal relationships
take part in any education, training, work or volunteering
find time for social activities and be involved in society. For example, improving your community or helping others, and
this impacting your wellbeing
- wellbeing is a broad concept which encompasses physical health, mental health, emotional responses, being safe, family life – a long list

think about:

the many ways you provide support – you may find it helpful to look at the info hub documents about preparing for a care act assessment for your cared for:
- https://ruils.co.uk/article/prep-for-a-care-act-assessment-1/
- https://ruils.co.uk/article/prep-for-a-care-act-assessment-2/
- the second prep document has quite long lists of things you might be doing!
do you have time for you
how does it affect your emotional wellbeing
do you feel drained or lonely, for example
can you sleep
do you have physical health problems because of your caring role, eg you lift someone and you have back ache
can you have a social life
can you access education
does your caring have an impact your work – or ability to work

The assessment should consider whether you need help to do these things; if you cannot do them without experiencing pain, distress or anxiety; or are unable to do them without being a risk to yourself or others.

Random bits!

RHACC: one of our attendees told us that RHACC has free course for carers – one per term.

Many venues will allow carers to enter for free but some may need some evidence. This is hard to come by as there isn’t a nationally recognised card for carer but something like the emergency card would probably work. Equally, many venues won’t ask for any proof.

It may be worth your cared for being registered for concessions as that may allow a carer to go free. For example, the CEA card (for cinemas) allows a carer to go free; a disabled person’s railcard gives the disabled person 1/3^rd off but also the carer gets 1/3^rd off.

Sadly carers are not entitled to free travel on public transport although we are aware that some bus drivers will allow carers on the bus without paying.

These are the leaflet that are in Michelle’s pack – all on Richmond’s website. There are lots more but these are in the Carer’s pack that Michelle brought along with her.

Who can speak on my behalf:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18509/who_can_speak_on_my_behalf.pdf

Support available for carers:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18183/asc_support_available_for_carers.pdf

Planning for an emergency:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18189/asc_planning_for_emergencies.pdf

Carer’s Assessments:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/18182/asc_what_carers_-assessment_is.pdf

Keeping Safe:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/lkujtfpt/keeping_safe_and_safeguarding_adults_at_risk.pdf

Equipment, simple aids and adaptations:

https://www.richmond.gov.uk/media/strfp3rx/asc_equipment_simple_aids_and_adaptations.pdf