Carer’s Assessment
We are receiving a high volume of referrals to the service, so please be aware that there will be a wait of at least three weeks before you are contacted by a worker.
What is a carer’s assessment?
It is an assessment of a carer’s needs for support (as defined by the Care Act 2014) including your role as a carer, your needs for support and the outcomes that you wish to achieve in day-to-day life.
As a carer, you are entitled to request an assessment no matter how much care you provide or if the person you support has a formal diagnosis or not. You are not obliged to do a Carer’s Assessment.
You can complete a carer’s assessment once a year or sooner if your circumstances have changed.
Some assessments are quite straight forward whereas others require more intervention to gain a full understanding of a carer’s needs and how best to support them.
You can use our guidance to help you prepare and understand the assessment and eligibility for support in more detail.
Who is a carer?
You are an unpaid carer if you have someone who relies on you to stay safe and well. The person you care for can be any age, and you don’t need to live with them. They may need support due to having a disability, mental or physical illness, an addiction, or other additional needs.
An unpaid carer is not the same as a care worker and may or may not receive Carer’s Allowance. A carer’s assessment is not related to Carer’s Allowance.
Who can Carers Oxfordshire help?
• People aged 18 or over that care for someone living in Oxfordshire
• A young person aged 17 who cares for someone living in Oxfordshire and is transitioning to adult services
If you are a carer, aged under 18 and not transitioning to adult services, or there is a young person who helps you to support someone, please contact Oxfordshire County Council on 0345 050 7666 and ask for young carer support.
Ways to complete a carer’s assessment
Self-assessment
Some people will be able to complete a full self-assessment of their own needs with very little support. A self-assessment can be completed on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.
If you are completing a self-assessment online you will complete the questions and provide any information yourself this will take around one hour to complete.
Once you have completed your online self-assessment, we will contact you to discuss and agree what you have written to ensure it is a good representation of your needs, determine your eligible needs and gain an understanding about the best ways to support those needs. Please note this can take around one hour or more depending on your situation.
Supported assessment
You can also choose to have a Supported assessment with Carers Oxfordshire, we can discuss the method that’s best for you. We will consider any specialist communication or engagement support you may need and make arrangements for this. This could include an Interpreter or support from a Speech and Language Therapist.
If you are being supported to complete your carer’s assessment you will be supported as far as possible to identify your own needs and consider whether your caring role impacts on your health or prevents you from achieving your outcomes, for example staying in work or having a social life. We’ll discuss your needs, determine your eligible needs and how best to support those needs. This can take around two hours depending on your situation.
To request a supported assessment, please complete our contact form or call us on 01235 424 715.