My mother has poor mobility and I shop and clean for her, as well as accompanying her to appointments. I am also the first point of contact if she has an emergency. My question is, what is a Carers Assessment, and do I qualify for one?
The simple answer is yes, as it is your legal right to have a Carers Assessment.
You have a caring role for your mother and may need support with this. A Carers Assessment is designed to assess whether you are eligible for support services. At the very least, a Carers Assessment will offer you advice and guidance on a number of services which may support you to continue to care, if you so wish.
A Carers Assessment will explore the impact that the caring role is having on you and will be undertaken in a person centred manner. For example, a carer may have no practical caring role, but is on call 24/7 for their cared for, and this may impact upon their mental health and their ability to leave their home at certain times. Another carer may find themselves in the same or a similar situation, but without it impacting on them in the same way.
The Care Act 2014 recognised the need to support carers and the person they care for equally by assessing their eligible needs for support. A Carers Assessment will result in a Support Plan if your caring role is impacting on you in a negative way, and relevant services will be advised to you for help with this.
In order to refer yourself for a Carers Assessment, please contact Customer First on 0808 800 4005 or refer through the Adult Care Portal on the Suffolk County Council website. https://adultcareportal.suffolk.gov.uk/web/portal/ pages/assess
Please note: All carers, and the person they care, need to be over 18 to be eligible for this service.
If you are a parent carer the assessments are slightly different. Ask Suffolk County Council for a Parent Carers Needs Assessment by contacting Customer First on customer.first@suffolk.gov.uk or by calling 0808 800 4005. The practitioner will work collaboratively with you to develop a plan around your needs.
Please note that this information is correct at the time of publication
