Getting a Carer's Assessment: Your Rights and What to Expect

Topic cluster: Supporting the Family Carer | Reading time: 5 min

If you are caring for an elderly parent, you are entitled to a free carer's assessment from your parent's local council. This is separate from your parent's care needs assessment — it looks at your needs as a carer. Many family carers are unaware of this right, and it is significantly underused.

What Is a Carer's Assessment?

A carer's assessment looks at how caring affects your life and what support might help you. It considers:

Your physical and mental health
Your need for breaks and respite
The impact on your work, finances, and relationships
Your own goals and aspirations beyond caring
Whether you are willing and able to continue caring (and in what way)

The assessment does not look at your parent's needs — that is the care needs assessment. It looks at you.

Who Is Entitled to One?

Under the Care Act 2014 (England), anyone who provides (or intends to provide) unpaid care for an adult is entitled to a carer's assessment if they appear to have needs as a carer. You do not need to be providing a minimum number of hours. You do not need to live with the person you care for.

This applies to:

Adult children caring for elderly parents
Spouses and partners
Siblings, friends, and neighbours providing regular care

What Can Come Out of a Carer's Assessment?

The outcome of a carer's assessment can include:

A personal budget for carers' support — to fund respite care, a sitting service, or practical help
Referral to carer support services — local carer centres, support groups, or training
Carer's Allowance eligibility — the assessor can identify if you may be entitled
Funded breaks and respite — in-home or residential
Practical support — help with tasks that directly enable you to continue caring

Not all carers receive a personal budget — it depends on assessed needs and local resources — but all carers are entitled to an assessment.

How to Request One

Contact your parent's local council's adult social care team and request a carer's assessment. This is often done at the same time as requesting your parent's care needs assessment.

You can request a carer's assessment independently from your parent's assessment — you do not need to link the two. Your parent's consent is not required for you to have an assessment of your own needs.

What the Assessment Involves

A carer's assessment is typically carried out by a social worker or carer support worker. It may be done in person, by phone, or online — depending on the council.

You will be asked about:

The care you provide — what you do, how often, for how long
How caring affects your daily life
Your health and wellbeing
Your work and finances
Whether you want to continue caring, and in what capacity
What would help you maintain your caring role

Be honest. Carers frequently underplay their difficulties. The assessment cannot lead to support that you have not indicated is needed.

After the Assessment

You will receive a written account of the assessment. If the council identifies that you have eligible needs as a carer, they have a duty to address those needs.

If you disagree with the outcome, you can ask for a review or raise a formal complaint with the council.

Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance is the main state benefit for people who provide substantial and regular care to a disabled person. To claim, you must:

Provide at least 35 hours of care per week
Care for someone receiving a qualifying disability benefit (e.g. Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living component, DLA care component at middle or higher rate)
Not be in full-time education
Earn no more than £196 per week (net, after expenses, 2026/2027)

Carer's Allowance is currently £81.90/week (2025/2026). It is taxable and affects some other benefits — check how it interacts with your specific circumstances before claiming.

Find care options to support your parent and give yourself a break at homeformum.com