Introduction, Legal Requirements and Tools (Carers)

This procedure should be used by anyone that has been allocated or asked to carry out any process that establishes the eligible needs of a carer under the Care Act, including any formal assessment or reassessment of need.

If you are establishing the needs of a person with Care and Support needs you should use the relevant procedure for your team/service.

Under the Care Act any method of establishing needs is known as an assessment and this is the legally recognised term. Assessment is an integral part of adult Care and Support.

The term 'assessment' covers:

1. The range of methods that can be used to establish needs, some of which are formal (for example, a face to face assessment) and some of which are not so formal (for example, a short telephone conversation); and
2. The range of models and frameworks used to support or shape the process of information gathering.

Unfortunately the word 'assessment' is all too often associated with outdated practices to gather information that do not support the ethos of the Care Act. For example, being:

1. A process led by the assessor;
2. A structured process involving the use of forms and arbitrary questions;
3. An 'interview' of the carer being assessed; and
4. A gateway to funding and services, the nature of which is decided by the assessor.

As a mechanism to promote and support new practices around assessment that are in line with the Care Act ethos and duties, these procedures intentionally use the phrase 'Establishing Needs' alongside the legal term 'assessment'. This supports users of the procedures to think more flexibly about what an 'assessment' can, and may need to involve so that it is:

1. Proportionate, only being formal or lengthy when it needs to be;
2. Led by the carer with support needs;
3. Appropriate to the carer and their situation; and
4. A method of supporting the carer to find their own solutions to issues identified.

Under the Care Act the main purpose of any assessment is:

1. To provide a full picture of the carer's needs in regard to the impact that those needs have on their Wellbeing; so that;
2. The Local Authority can provide an appropriate response for that carer at the right time in order to meet their needs and promote individual Wellbeing. This response might range from offering guidance and information to arranging for services to meet the needs.

A good assessment will also:

1. Support carers to understand their strengths and capabilities within the context of their situation;
2. Support carers to understand the support that may be available to them within the community or through other networks and services; and
3. Support carers to consider some of the different ways that the Local Authority may be able to support them (other than through a formal service).

The information gathered will help the Local Authority to:

1. Make a determination about eligibility (where eligibility is a factor in meeting assessed needs); and
2. Understand the kind of service provisions that could be explored when Support planning.

Across the country and even within each Local Authority there are a range of models and frameworks used to support or shape the process of information gathering to establish needs. The Care Act recognises that different approaches are used but all must fulfil the same legal requirements.

See: Legal Requirements of a Carers Assessment, part of the Care Act 2014.