Whether juggling family and work commitments to provide care a few hours a week, or caring 24 hours each day, if you provide regular help and support to a partner, relative or friend because they cannot manage without your help, then Carers Link is here for you.
In East Dunbartonshire 1 Person in 8 is a Carer.
Carers Assessments are designed to enable you to cope better in your caring role, to provide a regular break from caring, to educate and inform carers and to allow you to feel valued, supported and listened to.
There is a legal obligation under the Health & Community Care (Scotland) Act 2002 to offer an assessment of need to the carer. This right of a “Carer’s Assessment” is separate and different from your right to have your view taken into account during any assessment of need of the person you look after.
You therefore have the right to have your own needs considered if you are providing regular and substantial levels of care to another adult or child. You are also entitled to have your needs considered if you are about to start providing care e.g. if someone is coming out of hospital
You can choose to have your needs assessed jointly at the same time/place as any assessment of need of the person you look after OR you can choose to be assessed separately - and indeed by a different person. You may find this useful, for instance, if you do not want the person you look after to know that you have any difficulties or if there is a difference of opinion about how to best support them.
You can ask for this assessment even if the person you care for does not want to receive help or services from the social work department.
You are entitled to have a friend or advocate present at the assessment. Carers Link staff are able to help you prepare for an assessment or to complete Part 1 of the Form, but we can also be there during your meeting with Social Work if you need us to be.
You have the right to a copy of the completed Carers Assessment Form.
If the Assessment identifies a service which is then not provided, you are entitled to know why such a decision has been made. A service that has been identified as needed, cannot then be refused or withdrawn without a reassessment being carried out. Although resources of the local authority are one factor taken into consideration, they are not the only ones. If you are unhappy about such decisions or any aspect of the service, you may wish to make a complaint.
If either your circumstances change, or those of the person you care-for - you have the right to ask for your needs to be reviewed or re-assessed in order to make sure the services you receive are still suitable.
