Caring for an adult
A carer who is looking after a relative, partner, friend or neighbour may find it difficult at times to understand what may hold in store for you both. Seek advice on Your Carers Rights to make life that little easier for you.
You or the person you care for may be eligible for several types of support from
social services. Before the social services department can assist you, it must carry
out an assessment of what your care needs are. In most cases, obtaining services
for the person you're looking after means that they will need a community care assessment.
Your own carer's assessment may be taken into account as part of the process of establishing
their needs.
Once the assessment has been completed, the local authority has to make
a decision about whether or not it will provide or arrange services for you.
There are no national eligibility criteria for community care services. Each local
authority sets its own criteria, and so there are variations around the country.
However, the Department of Health has issued guidance on fair access to care services,
setting out the framework for determining eligibility that local authorities should
consider when setting their criteria.
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