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Your Rights to a Carers Assessment
If you care for someone
you have the right to be told about Carer’s Assessments. If
you are over 18 and provide unpaid care for someone who is over
18 and who needs help because of illness, disability or frailty
then you have a right to have your needs as a carer assessed
provided that
- The care you provide is substantial
(caring for several hours a week) and on a regular basis
- The person you care for is someone for
whom we may provide community care service (even if they are
not receiving services at present)
If you are in any doubt
about this then you should ask to find out if you are entitled
to a carer assessment.
Some Carers are
Assessed in Other Ways
Parent carers or
people with parental responsibility for a child under 18 years
of age, will be assessed via the ‘Children with Disabilities’
core assessment procedure (in Northamptonshire the forms have a
carers section)
Young carers. If
the young carer is aged 16/17 they can be assessed under ‘The
Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000’. If they are under 16
they will be assessed via ‘The Children’s Act’ as ‘Children in
Need’
Carers of someone
with mental ill health For carers of someone with mental ill
health an initial carer assessment will be done as part of the
care programme approach. Anyone who requires an assessment
should request one from the care co-ordinator of the person they
care for.
Commonly Asked
Questions Concerning Carers Assessment
1. Who will do my
Carers Assessment?
A Care Manger or Care
Co-ordinator should complete your Carer’s Assessment. They
should do this on a face-to-face basis and not leave the forms
with you. To ask for a carer assessment telephone the Adult
Care Squad (Social Care) on 0845 124 4500.
2. How long will the
Assessment take?
It is important that you
are given time to talk through the issues relating to
your caring role. Your Carers Assessment should take a minimum
of 30 minutes and longer if needed. Your assessment will be
done within 28 days of request (this will be much shorter in
times of crisis).
3. Can I have a
Carers Assessment even if the
person I care for refuses to be assessed themselves or refuses
any services.
Yes
4. Will the person I
care for need to be present at the Assessment?
There are occasions when
this is not feasible or beneficial and you should be given a
choice. However, this is something that can happen and be
beneficial if that is what you both want.
5. What sort of
things should be discussed?
An ideal Assessment
should be holistic and look at all areas of your caring role and
focus on your needs as a carer. Some of these needs could be
around practical help, services and support, equipment, carers
breaks, employment, education, leisure and social time etc
6. Is there a
financial part to a Carers Assessment?
There is a part of the
Assessment that should look at your entitlement to welfare
benefits as well as looking at the income and savings of you and
the person you care for. The person you care for may be asked
to contribute something towards the cost of the service or
support they may receive as a result of your assessment (such as
respite care) depending on their income or savings. However if
services are supplied to yourself, as a carer, you will not have
to pay for these services. If you are self-funding, you are
still entitled to a Carer Assessment.
7. What are Direct
Payments?
Once you have had an
assessment of your care needs by care management your care
manager will discuss with you the options for how your care
needs can be met, for example they can arrange services to help
you with domestic tasks. You could also have the money paid
directly to you to recruit your own staff to work with you. If
you have the money paid to you this is called a
direct
payment. You do not have to have direct payments if you do
not want to.
8. What criteria will
be used to decide if I am entitled to any help?
The ‘Fair Access to
Services’ criteria will be applied. If you would like a copy of
this please telephone 01604 237680, e-mail
Quality@northamptonshire.gov.uk - or go to Northamptonshire
County Council’s website
www.northamptonshire.gov.uk (under Community Services –
Physical Health).
9. What happens if
I’m not eligible for service from the County Council?
Under ‘The Carers and
Disabled Children’s Act 2000’ you are entitled to information
that is available from other sources, such as the voluntary
sector or other carer organisations. Your care manager or care
co-ordinator should supply you with these details.
10. Can I have a copy
of my Assessment?
Yes, everyone should be
given a copy of their assessment.
11. What do I do if
I’m not happy with the outcome or Assessment?
There is an appeals
process which you can follow. For a copy of this please
telephone 01604 237680, e-mail
Quality@northamptonshire.gov.uk or go to Northamptonshire
County Council’s website, Community Services, Public
Information.
12. Can I have an
advocate present at my Assessment?
Yes – Please see the
list of organisations on this website that provide
advocacy.
13. Will the Carers
Assessment cover what I would like to happen in the event of a
crisis?
It’s good practice for
the Assessment to look at issues around crisis management e.g.
list of Contact Numbers, appropriate services and help etc.
14. I’ve
heard about ‘Carer’s Breaks’ and Carers Services, what are they?
A Carers Break is a
period when someone else is providing care for the person that
you normally care for. This allows the carer to be able to do
whatever they want to do during that period. A Carer service is
something that will help the carer with their caring. This
might be some equipment or someone to help with a task. Carers
breaks and services can be funded via the ‘Carers Special
Grant’. These can be accessed through Care Management schemes
and the voluntary sector.
15. What will happen
to the person I care for if I access a ‘Carers Break’?
There are a number of
choices available such as respite care, care at home, voluntary
sector support etc
Four new Specialist Care
Centres are operational in the county. They are designed to give breaks to
carers by providing respite for the person who is cared for.
Frail elderly people and elderly people with dementia can stay
at the centres for a few days or a few weeks while the carer has
a break from caring and a chance to do whatever they want to do
during that time. The centres also provide a day centre service
that provide a break during the day for people caring for
elderly people with dementia.
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