An Individual Carers Assessment is when you have your needs assessed, as a Carer, without the person whom you care for being present. This would take place with a Carer Support Officer from the St Helens Carers Centre, as we are now carrying out these assessments on behalf of the local authority.

A Carers Assessment is a more in-depth discussion and will consider the different ways caring affects your life and works out how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family. You will talk about your caring role and what this involves on a day to day basis, your feelings about caring, your physical, mental and emotional health, and how caring effects your work, leisure, education, wider family and relationships. The information provided in your assessment can then be used to identify your support needs and to discuss how these could be met. This might mean that we can give you help or put you in touch with other organisations that you can talk to. If eligible, you will receive a personalised support plan. In this there may be specific services and support identified for yourself, which can help to balance your time and responsibilities. You will receive a copy of your Support Plan. This information will be kept on our records as well as with Peoples Services (St Helens Adult Social Care & Health Service).

Alternatively, you can also access a Joint Carers Assessment. This would be with you, the person you care for and a Care Manager from Peoples Services. They would complete your Joint Carer & Community Care Assessment and subsequent support plan for the person you care for, if eligible. If you have an eligible need, the information obtained from you will be referred to our Carer Support Team who will complete your Carer Support Plan. They will contact you to discuss this.

Should you wish to access a Carers Assessment, please contact the Carers Centre on 01744 675615 to book your appointment. This can be conducted over the telephone or face to face.

Entitlement to a Parent Carers Assessment

If you are a parent of a disabled child aged under 18, your child can be assessed by the local authority under law relating to the needs of children in the Children and Families Act 2014.

You will also be assessed as part of that process because Children’s Services will look at the needs of the family as a whole. This is often referred to as a "holistic" assessment.

The assessment should take into account detailed information about your family, including:

• the family’s background and culture
• your own views and preferences
• the needs of any other children you have

The assessment is not a test of your parenting skills, but should be a sensitive look at any difficulties the family has as a whole, with a view to considering what support or services are needed.

A care plan should be drawn up that would include services to benefit both you and your disabled child. For example, there could be adaptations to the home, help with bathing or regular respite breaks to ensure you get the rest you need. Should you wish to access a Parent Carers Assessment, please contact Children & Young People’s Services 01744 676600.

Information and Advice

New Carers say that having up to date information about services that offer help and support is crucial. Our team have developed an extensive information pathway and can advise you around a whole host of things including the following:

Access to community & carers assessments and services – we can provide information on services available via Adult & Children’s social care teams, how to arrange an assessment, what to expect and how to plan for this. We will also provide advocacy for Carers who experience difficulties with services or packages put in place. We aim to support and empower Carers to take action to secure their rights and obtain services.

Benefits and Finances – Information on Benefits available and how to make claims, details of agencies that can help with Hardship Funds and Debt Management

Carers Rights & Employment Issues – Advice on Carers Rights, Employment Law, where to seek detailed information.

Practical Help – Details on how and where to access services for both the Carer & Cared for person, such as aids and adaptations, equipment such as wheelchair hire, accessible holidays, respite breaks, voluntary agencies and local activity groups for Disabled Children, Vulnerable Adults, Older People and those with Mental Ill Health.

Service Specific Information – A range of information is available to Carers for specific conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease, Substance Misuse and many others.

Emotional Support

Carers often put their own health and emotional well-being second, but it is imperative that Carers look after their own needs in order to maintain their caring role. Many Carers tell us that just talking about their situation can really make a difference in a non-judgemental and confidential environment. We operate a drop in centre service where there is always someone to talk through any issues you may be dealing with. Sometimes all that Carers need is a place to let off steam, laugh, cry and share experiences. Carers can drop in to our adult centre between 9:30 and 4 weekdays (excluding bank holidays), or emotional support can be offered in a number of other ways:

- Telephone on 01744 675615

- Email at info@sthelenscarers.org.uk

- Live chat with us by clicking the chat button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays between 10 and 3)

- Face to face appointment

Welfare Benefits

At St Helens Carers Centre we have a team of fully trained Welfare Benefits Advisers to help support you and the person you care for with Welfare Benefits. The team can carry out full benefits checks, complete forms, support with digital claims, check awards, support with changes in your circumstances and more.

There are a number of ways you can contact the team if you are registered as a Carer with St Helens Carers Centre:

- Telephone on 01744 675615

- Email at info@sthelenscarers.org.uk

- Live chat with us by clicking the chat button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays between 10 and 3)

- Face to face appointment

- Universal Credit drop-in every Friday between 10 and 1 at our adult centre (re-commencing 29th April 2022)

The team have also produced their own fact sheets, self-help guides, information videos and more and these can be viewed by clicking here