Get a carer's assessment

Carer's assessments are for adults who provide unpaid care and support to someone who:

• Lives in Norfolk and;
• Is aged 18 or over and;
• Is disabled, ill or elderly

You can have a carer's assessment even if the person you care for doesn't get any help for their care and support from us.

There are separate assessments for parent carers and young carers:

• If you're looking after a child or young person (aged under 18), you can Parent carer needs assessment.
• If you're a child or young person (aged under 18) who helps to look after or support someone, you can request a parent carer needs assessment.

A carer's assessment is a conversation about your wellbeing. It is not a test of your ability as a carer.

It's an opportunity for you to talk about how you feel and identify sources of support for you. It will look at:

• Your feelings
• Your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• The sustainability of your role as a carer - whether it's something you are able to continue doing long-term
• How caring affects your work, finances, leisure, education, wider family and relationships
• What you'd like to achieve

The assessment can be just for you as a carer, or you can have a combined assessment with the person your care for.

If you would like an assessment just for you as a carer, contact Carers Matter Norfolk. Carers Matter Norfolk will carry out the assessment with you, talk about your caring role and the support available for you.

If you would like a combined assessment with the person you care for, complete our carer's support needs form. We will contact you to discuss the needs of the person you care for, your caring role and the support you provide, and the support available for you. Support can include a carer's personal budget. 

Before the assessment, it's a good idea to think about how you'll answer the questions you'll be asked.

You might want to write a day-to-day diary of the caring tasks you do. This can help you understand how much support you provide, what support you already have and what you support you need.

During the assessment you will be asked about:

• Your personal and family situation and history
• The people you care for
• The care and support you provide, and which parts you think are most important
• Your other caring responsibilities - eg for children or other family members
• Your living situation, including any challenges you experience with finances, transport, domestic tasks
• The impact of your caring role on your family, social life and work
• The impact of your caring role on your mental wellbeing and physical health
• What support you already receive from others - eg your family, community or GP - and what's working well
• Your ability to continue providing care

Carers Matter Norfolk will adjust the assessment process to match your situation. It might just be a short conversation, or they might set up regular appointments to check-in with you and see how the support you receive is working.

The support you receive following your assessment might include:

• Putting you in touch with a local support group so you have people to talk to
• Practical support, like arranging for someone to step in when you need a short break
• Support to improve your mental health through counselling, peer-to-peer support or training
• Resources to support your physical health and wellbeing
• Carers breaks to give you time away from your caring role
• A grant from the health and wellbeing fund which you can use to buy items or services to support your health and wellbeing

You'll get this support free of charge, so you will not need to complete a financial assessment.