Carers and children guide

Carer’s assessment: how to ask for one and what to say

A carer’s assessment is a conversation with your council, or your Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, about how caring affects you and what would help. It is free, and you have a legal right to one. Here is how to ask, what it is called where you live, and how to get the most from it.

By the Disability Expert team. Last checked 11 November 2026.

What it can lead to

The NHS gives examples of what a carer’s assessment might recommend: someone to take over caring so you can have a break, exercise classes to relieve stress, help with taxi fares if you do not drive, help with gardening and housework, training in how to lift safely, local support groups, and advice about benefits for carers.

In Northern Ireland, nidirect lists a break from caring, help with housework, equipment or home adaptations, and emotional support. In Wales, support can be given as direct payments, which let you arrange it yourself. The Welsh Government says direct payments are not income, so they do not affect benefits or income tax.

England: carers of adults

Under section 10 of the Care Act 2014, if it appears that a carer may need support, now or in the future, the council must assess them. The law says this applies whatever the council thinks of the level of your needs or your finances. The assessment must look at whether you are able and willing to carry on caring, how caring affects your wellbeing, what you want to achieve day to day, and whether you work or want to.

Ask adult social services at your local council. The NHS says you can call or do it online. The NHS says assessments are usually face to face, sometimes by phone or online, and usually last at least an hour.

If you qualify for help, the council writes a support plan with you. You might need a financial assessment before the council helps with costs. If you do not qualify, the NHS says the council should still give you free advice about where to get help.

England: parents of disabled children

If you have parental responsibility for a disabled child and are 18 or over, section 17ZD of the Children Act 1989 gives you a parent carer’s needs assessment. The council must carry one out if it appears you may need support or if you ask for one. A new one is due if your needs or your child’s needs change.

The NHS says parents and carers of children should contact the council’s children with disabilities team. It can help to ask for your child’s needs to be assessed at the same time.

Scotland: Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement

In Scotland, mygov.scot says you have the right to a plan from your council setting out your needs as a carer and the support you will get. Adults get an Adult Carer Support Plan. Young carers, meaning under 18 or 18 and still at school, get a Young Carer Statement.

The plan records your caring role, your physical, mental and emotional needs, whether you are able and willing to keep caring, the services the council will provide, whether you can get financial support, and an emergency plan for if you are ill. Ask your council’s social care department or your local carer centre, and ask for a written copy. You can ask for it to be updated when things change. At 19, a young carer moves on to an Adult Carer Support Plan.

Wales: carers’ needs assessment

Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, your council must offer you a carers’ needs assessment if it appears you may need support. The Welsh Government’s charter for unpaid carers says your right to an assessment is not affected by how much money you have, although you may be asked to contribute to the cost of support.

The assessment must ask what matters to you, and consider your work, education, training and leisure. If you have eligible needs, the council must meet them through a support plan. You also have a right to an advocate if you cannot fully take part yourself.

Northern Ireland: carer’s assessment from your Trust

In Northern Ireland, nidirect says that if you provide a regular and significant amount of care, you are entitled to a carer’s assessment from your Health and Social Care Trust. There is no fixed definition of regular and significant. If you have parental responsibility for a disabled child, you have the right to an assessment, and if two carers in a household both provide regular care, both are entitled.

Contact the Carer Coordinator at your Trust. The assessment can take place at your home or the home of the person you care for, and they do not need to be there. Ask for a re-assessment if things change.

How to prepare

The assessment is only as good as the picture you give. These steps help:

1. Keep a diary for a week or two of everything you do, including nights, appointments, phone calls and paperwork.
2. Think about the questions nidirect suggests. Do you get enough sleep? Is your health affected? Can you leave the person you care for? Are you worried about giving up work? Do you get any time to yourself?
3. Decide what would make the biggest difference. Be specific: a regular break on a set day, help with mornings, a sitter so you can go to work.
4. Ask what happens in an emergency, such as if you are ill or in hospital, and get it written into the plan.
5. Have the details the NHS suggests to hand: your NHS number and GP’s details, and the name, address, date of birth and NHS number of the person you care for.
6. Bring someone with you if it helps: a friend, relative or an independent advocate. The NHS says advocates are often free.

If you disagree with the result

Start with the council’s complaints procedure. You should be told how to complain at your assessment. In England, if you are not happy with how the council handles your complaint, the NHS says you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

An independent advocate can help you put your case. If a care package is refused or cut and you think the law has not been followed, our directory lists community care solicitors, some of which offer legal aid.

Related entitlement pages

• Carer's Allowance — A weekly payment if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get a qualifying disability benefit.
• Carer Support Payment — Scotland’s replacement for Carer’s Allowance, with additional Scottish carer payments in some cases.
• Carer's Credit — A National Insurance credit if you care for someone at least 20 hours a week, to protect your State Pension record.
• Family Fund — Grants for families on a low income raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person.

Organisations that can help

These are listings from our directory. They are not a recommendation, and they may not cover your area.

Search the full directory.

Frequently asked questions

Sources we checked

• https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/support-and-benefits-for-carers/carer-assessments/
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/23/section/10
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/17ZD
• https://www.mygov.scot/help-for-carer/carer-support-plan
• https://www.gov.wales/charter-unpaid-carers-html
• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/assessments-carers
• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/carers-rights

Last checked 11 November 2026. This is information, not an eligibility decision or legal advice. Always confirm the current rules on the official source before you apply.