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If you are a carer, you have a legal right to ask for a carer's assessment.  It can give you choice and control over the decisions you make about the support you need. We use the information you give us in the assessment to help us to plan your support.

About the assessment

A carer's assessment doesn't have anything to do with your financial situation or your caring ability. It is about the support you need.  We will ask you:

• your views and wishes
• any race, gender, age, or cultural issues you need to talk about
• the problems you are facing
• the kind of support you would like to be available

You can choose whether you want the person you care for to be there when you have your assessment.

Applying for a carer's assessment

A carer can be a friend, relative, partner or child. A carer is someone who gives their time without being paid in order to look after somebody who needs help due to a physical or learning disability, a sensory impairment, age, or a mental health problem.

If you are a carer, you have a right to have a carer's assessment. You can have one even if the person you care for doesn't want to be involved with Adult Social Care.

Cost of assessment

It is free to have a carer's assessment, and we won't charge you for any advice and information we give you. You may need to pay towards the cost of services we recommend to you. However, there are a number of voluntary organisations that provide help for carers, and many of the services they provide are free of charge.

Applying for the carer's assessment

You can arrange for a carer's assessment through the Adult Intake and Access Team or by contacting Carers of Barking and Dagenham.

Adult Intake Team

Contact the Adult Intake Team for more information on adult social care.

Telephone 020 8227 2915

Email IntakeTeam@lbbd.gov.uk 

Carers of Barking and Dagenham

334 Heathway, Dagenham RM10 8NJ

020 8593 4422

Carers of Barking and Dagenham website.

carers@carerscentre.org.uk

After your assessment

After a carer's assessment, we will contact you about the result.

If you have "eligible" needs, we will talk to you about what help might be available. This will be based on the information you gave us during your assessment.

If you do not have needs that are eligible for support, we will give you information and advice about what alternative support is available to help you locally. This could include help from a local voluntary organisation.

Eligibility for support

From April 2015, local authorities have a legal duty to meet a carer's suitable needs for support.
When your carer's assessment is complete, we must decide whether the carer's needs are eligible for support from Barking and Dagenham council. Your eligibility depends on your situation. You'll be entitled to support if:

• you are assessed as having needs that meet the criteria
• the person you care for lives within Barking and Dagenham (which means their established home is in that area)

Support planning

After your carer’s assessment, you should receive a written support plan identifying your needs and any information, this is called your care and support plan, support or services that could be provided, such as breaks from caring.

Social services will liaise with other authorities (such as housing or a health organisation), to help you with support relevant for you.

Your care and support plan should include details of what should happen if your situation gets worse. However, if your situation does change, you should contact social services and ask them to reassess you.

Support plan and your rights

Personal budgets and direct payments

As part of your support plan, you'll receive a personal budget. This is a statement showing the cost of meeting your needs. You can choose to take this personal budget in the form of direct payments.

Paying for care