Children's carer's assessment

A carer's assessment is a way we can work out what support you can get as a carer.

Find out if you can get a carer's assessment

You're entitled to a carer's assessment as a parent of a child who is disabled. We usually complete a carer's assessment as part of our Child and Family Assessment. This can be:

• an Early Help Child and Family Assessment completed by a family worker
• a Social Care Child and Family Assessment completed by a social worker

The Child and Family Assessment will state the needs of your child as well as your needs as a parent carer. 

We may ask you to complete a separate carer's assessment form first. You can write this yourself, or we can help you with this if you'd like us to. We will take this into consideration when we complete the Child and Family Assessment and the plan. 

The plan may be called a Child's Plan or Child in Need Plan. It will set out what services we will provide to meet your child's needs and what services we'll provide to meet your needs as a parent carer.

Because we try to work in a joined-up way the plan will also state what needs can be met by other agencies such as NHS services or schools, and what needs can be met by parents and families. For example, your child may have additional day-to-day personal care needs which are right for you to meet yourself and we may support you by providing a regular break.

How to get a carer's assessment

Contact us to ask for a carer's assessment:

What to expect at an assessment

A Children's Services practitioner will usually come to your home to talk to you. They will ask you for information about your child, for example:

• sleeping patterns
• eating habits
• how your child communicates
• what activities they enjoy
• their education
• health and safety
• if you have any other children to look after

To get a full picture, we may also ask a health professional such as your child's GP or health visitor and your child's school for information. This will be with your consent. 

As a parent carer you can tell us about what support you need to care for your disabled child and about your wellbeing, including:

• personal dignity, respect and safety
• physical health
• emotional wellbeing and mental health
• family and social relationships
• economic wellbeing
• participation in work, education, training or recreation
• suitability of living accommodation

You can go into as much or as little detail as you need to. The main thing is that we understand your child's needs and what support you need to care for your child.