SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

Any adult who provides necessary care and support to another person can request support from Hull City Council, regardless of whether they appear to have eligible needs or whether the person they care for has eligible needs.

RELATED GUIDANCE

Quick guide: Supporting People who Provide Unpaid Care for Adults with Health or Social Care Needs (Nice and SCIE)

Social Work Practice with Carers (Research in Practice for Adults and Department of Health and Social Care)

LOCAL INFORMATION

Carers Information and Support (CISS)

Carer’s Assessment Process (Hull City Council)

1. Principles

Assessment is one of the most important elements in the care and support system. It should be seen as an intervention in its own right, which can help carers to understand their situation and the needs they have in order to prevent, reduce or delay the development of further needs. The assessment will also clarify the strengths they have and how they can best use those strengths while being able to access the support they require.

The assessment must be person led and should be proportionate to the needs being presented. All assessments should use the same documentation but not all will have the same depth.

The assessment must seek to establish what needs the carer has and the impact of these needs on their day to day life and overall well-being. It should also establish what outcomes they want to achieve.

An assessment can be carried out in one of three ways; the carer can complete a self assessment, they can receive a supported self assessment with the support being provided by a friend, family member or anyone who knows them well or they can receive an assessment carried out by a worker from the city council.

Only after the assessment is complete can any judgement about eligibility for local authority funded support be made. Carers support services are not currently charged for, and so no financial assessment is necessary.

2. Procedure Steps

Step Action By Whom
1. When a carer requests an assessment, they must be assumed to have the mental capacity to lead or participate fully in that assessment unless there are compelling reasons for believing otherwise. If such compelling reasons exist at this, or at a later stage, an assessment of capacity must be carried out as set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005  (please see Assessing Mental Capacity Guidance). If they are found to lack mental capacity, an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate should be appointed and any decisions made must be demonstrably in the person’s best interests. Advice and information co-ordinator/ suitably qualified mental capacity assessor
2. Prior to the assessment taking place, the carer should be provided with relevant advice and information, and should be encouraged to make best use of it to help them to prevent, reduce or delay the development of further needs and to meet as many of their existing needs as possible prior to assessment. Advice and information co-ordinator
3. If the carer has mental capacity but for other reasons is not able to participate fully in the assessment process, or would have substantial difficulty in doing so, consideration should be given to the appointment of an advocate.  See Advocacy. Advice and information co-ordinator/ Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
4. If the carer appears able to lead or fully participate in the assessment they should be offered the choice of completing a self assessment, having a supported self assessment or an assessment carried out with them by a worker. The self assessment paperwork is available via the Hull City Council website. Whatever the form of assessment is used, the carer must be given information about the assessment process so they know what to expect. If the carer completes a self assessment or supported self assessment, the worker must seek assurance that the information is accurate and comprehensive. This may entail a visit to discuss the assessment or contact with someone who knows the carer’s needs such as a GP or healthcare worker but it should not entail a repeat of the assessment itself. Advice and information co-ordinator/ Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
5. Decisions about eligibility must be made after the assessment is complete. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
6. If the carer has full mental capacity to choose, they have the right to refuse an assessment. However, if they do not have mental capacity, a decision must be made on their behalf in their best interests. If there are reasons to believe they are experiencing or are at risk of neglect or abuse, then the decision about whether or not to assess must be made on their behalf and in their best interests and a referral must be made to the safeguarding adults team. If a child living in the household or with any other connection to the carer appears to have needs or to be at risk of abuse or neglect, the EHASH (Early Help and Safeguarding Hub) should be notified, unless the needs of the child will clearly be met by the provision of carer support services. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
7. If the carer appears to have an urgent need for support, an immediate response must be provided to meet those needs, before the assessment is completed. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
8. The assessment should be proportionate to the needs and abilities of the carer which means that some assessments can be carried out online or over the telephone while others will need the input of a specialist assessor and a range of people. The timescale of the assessment will vary but unnecessary delays must be avoided and the carer must be kept informed of the progress of their assessment. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
9. The assessment must use the common assessment paperwork and must be led by the carer as far as they are able. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
10. The assessment must consider the person’s strengths and capabilities and must be focussed on the outcomes they want to achieve. It should be based around key questions:
  • How are you currently managing?
  • What is important to you?
  • What do you want to change or achieve?
  • How will you be supported?
Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
11. Once the assessment is completed, a worker must make a decision about whether the needs identified are eligible for local authority funded support. The worker should use the form attached to the assessment paperwork to do this and must send the carer a copy of this to inform them in writing of the detail of the eligibility decision. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker/Team manager
12. Following the assessment, the carer must be given a copy of the whole document. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
13. If the carer is not eligible for local authority funded support, they must be provided with advice and information about which services exist in the local community or in universal services which may be of benefit to them and how to access them. They must also be provided with information about things which may help prevent, delay or reduce needs from arising. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
14. If the carer has eligible needs, a conversation must take place to find out which needs can be met via community or universal services, which can be met via the provision of information and advice and which need funded support. The carer should be asked if they want a referral to the Carers Information and Support Service (CISS) and should be provided with details about the service. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
15. All of the carer’s needs should be detailed on an outcome focussed support plan together with the means of meeting them. If needs remain unmet, cost effective solutions should be explored and detailed on the support plan. This should then be forwarded to the budget holder for agreement to fund. Once a budget has been agreed, the carer should be asked whether they want to receive their personal budget as a direct payment or via support arranged by the city council. Social worker/ social work assistant/ Occupational therapist/ sensory impairment worker
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