Carers Week 6-12 June 2016

Local councils in Wales have a legal obligation to provide support for people who care for another person.

Carers assessment

From April 2016 you are legally entitled to a carer’s needs assessment regardless of the amount or type of care you provide, your financial means or the level of support you may need.

Previously you had to ask, but now as soon as it appears to a local council that you may have needs for support they must offer you an assessment. You are entitled to an
assessment whether or not you live with the person who you care for.

If you are sharing caring responsibilities with any other person or persons including a child under 18, each of you are entitled to an assessment in your own right, regardless of the amount or type of care you provide, your financial means or the level of support you may need.

You are not obliged to accept any help if you do not wish it, but there may come a time when your circumstances change and support would benefit you and the person you care for.

What support might councils provide?

Information and advice
The local council must secure the provision of an information, advice and assistance service. Everyone, including those whose needs are considered not to be eligible for support should receive information and advice from the local council on the following:

• advice on how to access care and support
• care providers and services that are available in your local area
• how to get financial advice
• how to access services that could delay or prevent your needs
  from increasing
• how to raise concerns about the well-being of an adult who has
  needs for care and support or a carer who needs support
• the outcome of the contact, and what, if any, action will be taken and by whom

If at this stage it is deemed that you are not eligible for support it may be that it will only be advice and information that you will receive from the local council. The advice and information should be local to where you live and could for example be information about a local carers support service.

The assessment at this first point of contact will vary from individual to individual in terms of what is required. It will only be the provision of information that will not require some form of assessment. If advice or assistance is given then a simple assessment of your needs will have taken place. If at this stage the local council is satisfied that you have further support needs then the local council must take the assessment to the next stage and complete a comprehensive assessment of your needs. They will then decide what needs are eligible for support and whether they meet the national eligibility criteria.

Support Plan
If your local council decide that your needs are eligible, then providing that you want them to, they have a legal obligation to meet these needs. The local council can provide the services themselves or arrange services through other organisations. Alternatively you
can request to receive direct payments to buy in your own package of support to meet your eligible needs. A support plan must be drawn up detailing how these needs will be met and a copy must be offered to you.

Your local council may or may not charge you for services. If they do, they must carry out a financial assessment to decide whether you have to make a financial contribution and if so, how much you will be expected to contribute. If the help you are offered is free, then the
local council do not have to do a financial assessment.

Your support plan must contain a description of:

• your eligible needs
• the personal outcomes you wish to achieve
• the actions to be taken by the local council or other organisations or people to help you achieve your personal outcomes or meet your eligible need
• arrangements for monitoring the extent to which the personal outcomes have been achieved
• arrangements to review the support plan. This must be agreed at the start of the plan and at each subsequent review.

Some examples of the kind of help that could be available for you as a carer if you are eligible for support:

• help getting around, taxi fares, driving lessons, repairs and  insurance
• costs for a car where transport is crucial
• technology to support you. For example: a mobile phone or a computer where it is not possible to access computer services from a local library
• help with housework or gardening
• help to relieve stress, improve health and promote well-being such as gym membership

Some examples of the kind of help that could be available to the person you care for in order to help you as a carer:

• changes to the disabled person’s home to make it more suitable
• equipment such as a hoist or grab rail
• a care worker to help provide personal care at home
• a temporary stay in residential care/respite care
• meals delivered to the disabled person’s home
• a place at a day centre
• assistance with travel, for example to get to a day centre
• laundry services
• replacement care so you can have a break

More information

Find out more about the new rules for care assessments in the Carers Wales booklet: Assessments: A guide to getting an assessment in Wales from April 2016