If your needs cannot be met by information, advice and assistance alone, please ask for a Carer's Needs Assessment.
A Carer's Needs Assessment will look at what support you need as an unpaid carer, whether you are willing or able to carry on caring, what you want to achieve in life and whether you are eligible for help from social services.
A Carer's Needs Assessment does not check to see how or why you are caring.
Finding out what needs a person has starts with a conversation. During this conversation we will ask what matters to you.
We will ask you about your circumstances; personal outcomes, barriers to achieving those outcomes, any risks to you or to other persons and your strengths and capabilities. It will also look at whether you work or wish to work, and whether you wish to participate in education, training, or leisure activities.
An assessment gives you the chance to:
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Think about your needs
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Consider the impact of caring on your 'well-being'
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Talk, in private, to someone who understands your situation
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Be listened to
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Think about whether you feel you can go on caring and the choices you have
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Talk about the support you think is important to carry out your role and to maintain your health and well being