Carers assessments
What's a carer's assessment?
A carer's assessment is simply a discussion with you that will help us understand the physical, emotional and practical impact that caring has on your life and to ensure that your needs are taken into account.
As a carer, you have a right to have your needs considered when decisions are being made about support for the person you care for. This will include any education, training, work or leisure activity that you would like to take part in.
Who’s a carer?
You’re a carer, whatever your age, if you provide unpaid help to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who couldn’t manage without you. This could be due to their illness, frailty, disability, mental health or substance misuse problems.
We may be able to give you social care support, even if the person you care for doesn’t receive or want it, but to find out what help is available you need to ask us for a carers assessment.
How does the assessment work?
If you care for an adult, we can do a carer's assessment at the same time as doing an assessment of the needs of the person you care for to help us understand what help they might need. We can also do a carer's assessment separately.
A social care practitioner will ask you what kind of support the person you care for needs, whether you’re able to provide it and what help might improve your situation. You can talk to them about financial worries, your own health, practical help you might need in the home and any concerns about future needs. They’ll explain some of the different support options available and help you to access them so that you can carry on caring with adequate support.
We may be able to help you with:
- Advice and information
- Emergency planning
- Financial support and advice
- Introduction to support groups
- Advice on obtaining respite care
- Signposting to voluntary and health services
Carers are also eligible for a one-off payment of £250 per financial year and this payment can be accessed either through a Separate Carer’s Assessment or through an application form for a Carer’s Payment
(MS Word, 593KB). The payments may be used for anything that you feel will provide you with a break from your caring role, such as paying for activities, a short break or holiday or a regular therapy. The aim of the payment is to improve your health and wellbeing.
Even if you aren’t eligible for social care help, there are voluntary organisations in Richmond who will be able to offer you advice and support.
How much does it cost?
There is no charge for information and advice or a carer's assessment and we are happy to provide these services for carers. Services from local voluntary organisations are generally free.
More information
Our Carers Directory
(pdf, 598KB) contains information on all aspects of caring.
You can also check out the Carers UK section of the government’s website for details of other support that you may be entitled to, such as the Carer’s Allowance.
Useful contacts
For more information and advice please contact the Carers Hub or its lead organisation:
Richmond Carers Centre
Address: 5 Briar Road, Twickenham, TW2 6RB
Phone: 020 8867 2380
Email: info@richmondcarers.org
Web: www.carers.org/local/london/richmond
How to get in touch
If you’re a young carer under the age of 18, please call our Children and Families’ service on 020 8891 7969.
Please contact me about this service
If you’re still unsure you can contact the Adult Social Care Access Team