What is a carer’s assessment?

A carer’s assessment is a conversation with your local council’s adult social care team about you: how caring affects your life, your health and your ability to carry on. It is separate from any assessment of the person you look after.

It looks at things like:

• how much care you provide, and what it involves
• your physical and mental health, including sleep
• whether you are able and willing to keep caring
• your work, study or other family responsibilities
• whether you get any time for yourself
• what would happen in an emergency if you couldn’t provide care

There is no minimum number of hours. If you provide regular unpaid care to an adult, you can ask for an assessment, whatever your own finances.

Where you live in the UK

• England: carer’s assessment, under the Care Act 2014
• Scotland: adult carer support plan
• Wales: carer’s needs assessment
• Northern Ireland: carer’s assessment, through your local Health and Social Care Trust

The names differ, but the purpose is the same.

How a carer’s assessment can lead to respite

If the assessment finds you have eligible needs, the council must agree how to meet them. For many carers, the clearest need is simply a break. Support might include:

• Replacement care at home, where a care worker steps in for a few hours, overnight or for a longer spell
• A short stay in a care home, sometimes called residential respite
• Day services for the person you care for
• A direct payment, giving you money to arrange your own break or support
• Help with things that make caring easier, such as equipment or emergency planning

Whether you pay anything towards respite depends on your council’s charging policy. Because replacement care is usually provided to the person you look after, it may be financially assessed in their name rather than yours. Ask your council to explain this clearly before anything is arranged. Our funding guide covers the other ways respite can be paid for.

How to ask for a carer’s assessment

1. Contact adult social care at the council where the person you care for lives (in Wales, your own council; in Northern Ireland, your Health and Social Care Trust). Most councils have an online form or phone line.
2. Say clearly that you are asking for a carer’s assessment. Using those words matters.
3. Ask how long the wait is, and request an assessment of the person you care for at the same time if they haven’t had one recently.

Assessments can be done face to face, by phone or online, and usually take at least an hour. Waiting lists vary, so it’s worth asking early rather than waiting until you are at breaking point.

Getting the most from your assessment

From years working in care, I’ve seen how much the outcome depends on what gets said on the day. A few tips:

• Keep a short diary for a week or two beforehand. Note the night time wake ups, the appointments, the tasks you do. It’s easy to underplay what you do.
• Describe a bad day, not a good one. Assessors need to understand the worst of it.
• Be honest about your own health. Exhaustion, back pain, low mood and stress all count.
• Say plainly that you need a break. Don’t assume the assessor will suggest it.
• Ask for a copy of your support plan, and ask when it will be reviewed.
• Bring someone with you if it helps. Local carers’ centres can often support you through the process.

If you disagree with the outcome, you can ask for it to be reviewed and use your council’s complaints process.

While you wait

An assessment can take time, and you may not want to wait to start looking at options. You can search respite care providers near you on respite-care.co.uk, compare home care, live in care and short stay care homes, and send a free enquiry to ask about availability and costs. Knowing what’s available locally can also help you explain exactly what kind of break would work for your family.

You matter too

Caring is one of the most important things anyone can do, but you can’t keep going on empty. A carer’s assessment is not a test, and asking for one is not a sign that you’re failing. It’s your right, and it may be the first step towards the break you need.

New to respite care? Start with our guide: What is Respite Care?