What is a carer?

Definition of a carer

A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.

Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age. Many feel they are doing what anyone else would in the same situation; looking after their mother, son, or best friend and just getting on with it.

Carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it; if they did not do it, who would and what would happen to the person they care for?

How to get a carers assessment....

If you're a carer, you may want your own assessment by social services to look at support or services you need. The way that you can get a carer's assessment will depend on your circumstances.

If you're regularly providing a substantial amount of care for someone, social services have a legal obligation to let you know that you have a right to your own carer’s assessment. They should let you know about this when they carry out an assessment of the person you are looking after .

The information should be available in different languages and formats.

If social services does not provide any services to the person you're looking after, you can contact them and request a carer’s assessment.

If social services are providing services to the person you are looking after but there are no plans to assess them or reassess them, you can still ask for your own carer’s assessment.

If the person you're looking after is being discharged from hospital, you will be offered your own assessment as part of discussions about the plans for them leaving hospital.

If the person you're looking after has severe mental health problems, you may have additional rights to your own assessment as their carer. That would be the case if he or she were provided with support and services under the Care Programme Approach.

For  more information, you can contact the Fife Carers Centre on

01592 642999 

Or

Freepost 

RRLL TZHJ RTTB

Fife Carers Centre

Kirkcaldy

KY1 2NS

Click here for the latest Fife Carers Centre Newsletter

If you are a carer....

If you care for someone who requires you to speak on their behalf, or for you to have access to their medical records, please print and complete our Third Party Form and hand it in to the surgery.