A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to a family member, friend, partner or neighbour who could not manage without their help. This includes people who receive Carer's Allowance. The person you look after may have: a disability or learning disability, a long term or life limiting illness, mental health difficulties, alcohol or drug related problems.
Carers have rights. Support is available to you in Newcastle. You can get:
Adult Social CarePoint at Newcastle City Council give information and support adults in Newcastle who find day-to-day activities difficult. They can talk to you about your caring role. Our conversation will look at what works well for you. This could be your family, neighbourhood, or community. We can work with you to find support and services that are right for you. If a crisis happens, we can work with you to regain control of your life. Together we will look at what needs to change and make a plan. We can be there to see the plan through with you.
Read more about support for carers
A carer's assessment is a conversation with Adult Social Care about your caring role. It gives you the chance to tell us about your caring role and the impact caring is having on you. It focuses on your needs and covers your:
You may be able to get practical and financial support to help you in your caring role from Adult Social Care. To receive support you must be:
You should be offered a carers assessment by Adult Social Care if you:
If you're not offered an assessment, you can ask for one.
A carer's assessment is usually carried out by council staff, with the person you care for. This helps us understand your situation and find ways we can support you both.
You can ask for a separate assessment, even if the person you care for does not want or has not had an assessment from us. There is no difference in the type or amount of support we offer to carers with eligible needs following a combined or separate assessment.
Contact us at Adult Social CarePoint for a chat . We can work with you to understand your situation and find local support that works for you.
If you are not eligible for support from the council we will give you information about other services that can help.
You can read more about how to prepare for a carers assessment and the benefits of getting one on Carers UK
Carers under the age of 18, have the right to a young carer’s assessment to:
A young carer’s assessment looks at the amount of caring you do and what needs to change to make sure you have the same opportunities as other young people.
Contact Newcastle Carers to ask for a young carers assessment.