Where an individual provides or intends to provide care for another adult and it appears the carer may have any level of needs for support, the Council must carry out a carer's assessment. The Council will assess whether the carer has needs and what those needs may be.
The assessment considers the impact of caring on the carer. It will also consider the things that a carer wants to achieve in their own day-to-day life.
The Council will also consider other important issues such as whether the carer is able or willing to carry on caring, whether they work or want to work, whether they want to study or do more socially. If both the carer and the person they care for agree, a combined assessment of both their needs can be undertaken
When the assessment is complete, the Council must decide whether the carer's needs are "eligible" for support from the Council.
Whether you are an existing or new Carer you will find yourself in one of the following positions;
I am new to caring and have never had an assessment / I am an existing Carer but I have never had an assessment.
You can have an assessment carried out by staff from the Carers Centre. You may also have a joint assessment with the person you care for by their social worker or assessor. If you would rather have a joint assessment – contact their social worker and they can arrange for this.
For assessments that we provide, this will take place with a friendly and experienced Wellbeing Advisor. You can book your assessment to take place at the Carers Centre or one of our hubs or in difficult circumstances in your own home.
The advisors will ask you some questions about your circumstances such as what kind of tasks you carry out to support the person for example with personal care, bathing and dressing, shopping making their food and even feeding, how much decision making and support around home and finances you make for them. They may also ask you about your living and working arrangements, how many hours care you provide and so on. Essentially the Advisor will be establishing how the role of caring you do impacts on your life and situation.
This is to establish what particular types of help you can get and what advice we can give you. The Wellbeing Advisor can give you advice and information on the various services, support groups and more that you can access. They can also refer you onto other people who can help you, such as benefits advice, or handyman services or tell you about other services you were unaware of.
I would like to book my assessment
Call
0161 342 3344 or drop into The Carers Centre to arrange an assessment during office hours, We are at
Tameside One, Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, OL6 6BH Drop in times Monday to Friday 11am until 2pm.
I am an existing Carer but I am not sure if my assessment is up to date?
If you think or know your assessment is overdue (a Re-assessment is done every 12 months) call us to check. We will book an appointment for you.
If you have a joint assessment with the person you care for by a social worker, they will arrange this themselves.
I am an existing Carer and have had an assessment of my needs within the last 12 months.
If your assessment is up to date you can still come to us any time with additional queries or questions. You can phone or call into the centre. If you are unsure when you are due for a review or re-assessment, just ask.
I am an existing Carer and do not want an assessment
There are many reasons why an existing Carer may not have had an assessment. For some people, caring is a matter of pride and accepting help can feel like ‘admitting defeat'. This is certainly not the case. With or without support, caring is very demanding. Accepting help is not a sign of weakness; sometimes it is just the sensible option.
Ultimately, whether to have an assessment or not is your choice, but if you do decide to skip it you could be missing out on help not just for you, but for the person you care about. It's worth keeping in mind that you do not have to take up any of the help and support that is offered as a result of the assessment, but it is better to know what is available and turn it down, than to not know what is there at all. You are welcome to come in for an assessment if you change your mind.
My circumstances have changed. I need to be reassessed.
If your situation has drastically changed you can come for a reassessment at any time. Just contact the Carer's Centre or your social worker and we will be happy to book you in.