Carer's assessments in Wales

What is a carer’s assessment? 

A carer’s assessment should identify what your needs are and work out what type of support would help. For you, as a carer, care and support could be: 

• Training to help with your caring role, for example, showing you how to move and handle the person you care for, or how to use any specialist equipment.
• Providing additional services to the person so that you can have a break.
• Giving you advice about benefits you could be entitled to as a carer. 

You can still have a carer’s assessment even if the person you care for refuses an assessment or doesn’t want care or support.

If you meet certain eligibility criteria (conditions), the local authority may pay for your support. Even if the person you are caring for is self-funding their care, you may still be able to receive support.

The criteria for a carer’s assessment in Wales

The carer’s assessment will identify if you have an ‘eligible care need’ to receive care and support. Once the assessment is complete, the local authority will carry out a financial assessment to decide if they have a duty to meet your needs. See our guidance on Paying for care and support in Wales for more information.

There are four criteria (conditions) that a carer must meet to be eligible for local authority funded care or support: 

1. The carer has a need because they are providing care to a person with dementia.
2. As a result of providing care, the carer is unable to do at least one of the following:
   • Carry out self-care or domestic routines such as cooking or cleaning.
   • Communicate.

   • Protect themselves from abuse or neglect be involved in work, education, learning or leisure activities such as volunteering or swimming.

   • Maintain or develop family or other relationships, for example with friends.

   • Maintain or develop social relationships and involvement in the community. 

   • Care for a child. 

3. The carer doesn’t have someone to help them or community support to meet their needs, or they can’t meet them on their own.
4. The carer is unlikely to achieve their outcomes without support from the local authority.

What does a carer’s assessment involve? 

A carer’s assessment is often carried out at the same time as a care assessment for the person with dementia. This can be helpful as your needs may be met by support provided to the person you care for. For example, if you need a short break from your caring role, the local authority could offer replacement (respite) care to the person with dementia. For more information on this, see our information on Respite care in Wales. 

Speak to the local authority to arrange your carer’s assessment The assessment will usually be carried out by a social worker. It may involve other professionals, such as a GP, but the social worker will arrange this if it is needed. Alternatively, the local authority may ask another organisation to carry out the assessment.

You will have the opportunity to explain what you do as a carer, and also what help and support you would like. 

Self-assessment questionnaire 

Sometimes, the local authority will ask for information through a self-assessment questionnaire. You can ask them for support completing this if you need to. Some local charities may also help with this. 

Where the carer’s assessment takes place 

The carer’s assessment is likely to be done in the home of the person with dementia. Alternatively, the carer’s assessment may take place separately, or perhaps the person with dementia is not having an assessment themselves. In this case, the assessment should take place somewhere that is convenient for you, for example, in your own home. 

The carer’s assessment: tips 

There are a few things you can do to prepare for a carer’s assessment. Look through the questions and take your time to think about your answers. 

The tips below can help you prepare and get more from your assessment. Think about the support you need. Use these suggestions to make notes or comments on relevant details. Make sure to share these with the professionals during the assessment. 

• Create a diary for a few weeks and include all the tasks that you do to support the person with dementia. These could include helping them with washing and dressing or doing their shopping. 

• List the care and support that you give the person including when, where and for how long. Include details on any time you spend checking on the person’s wellbeing, or times you respond to phone calls to support them. 

• List any benefits that you or the person you are supporting get. The assessor may be able to suggest other benefits if appropriate. If you are not receiving any benefits and think you should be, you can ask the assessor for more information.

• What care and support can you continue to provide? You should not feel pressured into providing care that you are not willing or able to give. 

• Do you find your caring role difficult at times? Mention the occasions when you feel irritable, stressed or depressed. If appropriate, include any physical health problems caused or made worse by your caring role. 

• Are there things you can’t do or find difficult as a result of caring? You may not have time to clean your home, go to work or see your friends. 

• Think about what support would help you now and in the future, as the person’s dementia progresses. This could be arranging respite care so you can have a break, or practical help, such as equipment or training.

Be open and honest. You might find it difficult to talk about how you feel at first, but remember that the assessor is there to support you. To get the best results from your assessment, they need to understand how you are managing. 

If you are having an assessment at the same time as the person with dementia, it may be difficult to share your feelings. See if it’s possible to speak with the assessor separately if you’d prefer the person not to hear about difficulties you’re having because of their dementia.