1. Carers Assessments Althia Lyn Commissioning Officer GCC 01452 328599 Althia.lyn@gloucestershire.gov.uk Althia.lyn@gloucestershire.gov.uk

2. Carers Assessments This workshop will: Provide an overview of the Care Act 2014 in relation to Carers Focus on new requirements in relation to assessment and support to carers Provide an overview of Care Act implementation in Gloucestershire so far Group work activity to test Care Act 2014 readiness

3. Care Act 2014 - Carers Is underpinned by new statutory principle of individual wellbeing LA’s and partners in health, housing, welfare and employment services must now take steps to: Prevent, Reduce and Delay the need for care and support for local people Different parts of the act are designed to work together Local authority wide Overlap with Children and Families, including Transitions Partners share the duty to integrate

4. The 2014 Act aims to ensure that Care and Support is : Clearer and fairer Promotes peoples wellbeing, physical mental and emotional, of both the person needing care and their carer Enables people to prevent and delay the need for care and support and enables carers to maintain their caring role Places people in control of their lives so that they can pursue opportunities to realise their potential

5. The framework of the Act and its statutory guidance 5 Assessment and eligibility Charging and financial assessment Care and support planning Personal budgets and direct payments Review Key processes Prevention Integration, partnerships and transitions Information, advice and advocacy Diversity of provision and market oversight Safeguarding General responsibilities and key duties Wellbeing Underpinning principle

6. Definition of well being  Personal dignity (including treating the individual with respect)  Physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing  Protection from abuse and neglect  Control over day to day life including over care and support provided and the way it is provided  Participation in work, education, training or recreation  Social and economic well being  Domestic, family and personal  Suitability of living accommodation  Individual’s contribution to society  All must be considered when making decisions about care and support

7. What does the 2014 Care Act mean for carers?  Strengthens the rights and recognition of carers  Adults and carers have the same rights to an assessment on the appearance of needs  A local authority must meet eligible needs of carers and prepare a support plan  Improved access to information and advocacy should make it easier for carers to access support and plan for future needs  Emphasis on prevention will mean that carers should receive support early on and before reaching crisis point  Carers should be kept informed of the care and support plan of the person they care for  Parity with the Children and Families Act 2014 for Parent and Young Carers

8. Threshold for carrying out a carers assessment  Where an individual provides, or intends to provide, care for another adult and it appears that they have any level of needs for support, the LA must carry out a carers assessment  Applies to Adult, Parent and Young Carers  Where a YC is identified must undertake a YC assessment under part 3 of Children Act 1989

9. A carers assessment must :  Establish the need for support  Establish the sustainability of the caring role  Include the practical and emotional support the carer provides to the looked after person.  Consider carer’s potential future needs for support  Ask whether the carer is, and will continue to be, able and willing to care for the adult needing care

10. Cont..  Consider the outcomes the carer wants to achieve in their daily life  Include activities beyond caring responsibilities  Consider the impact of caring responsibilities on carer’s desire and ability to work, participate in education, training, recreational activity and time to themselves.  Consider both the short and long term  Where appropriate, views should be sought in a separate conversation from the adult’s needs assessment

11. Assessment aims to:  Identify what needs carer may have and how these impact on their well being  Identify what outcomes they are looking to achieve to maintain or improve their wellbeing & how care and support can enable this  Provide as full a picture of the situation as possible so that the LA can provide an appropriate response at the right time to meet the level of need.  Explore the sustainability of the caring role  Explore the impact on the carer’s activities beyond their caring responsibilities  Focus on prevention, early intervention and meeting needs rather than fitting carers into services.  Good practice – a conversation between assessor and carer/carers to identify impacts of caring and care and support needs and outcomes

12. Key to supporting carers across Health and Social Care: Identification of carers in the community :  During assessment of the adult needing care  During assessment of a child with disabilities  When presenting at primary or acute services  Identifying carers and referring on for advice, information assessment and support: will promote well being, prevent, reduce and delay the need for care and support

13. Assessment is a critical intervention in itself It provides a real opportunity to:  Help the carer to understand their situation  Understand their needs  Think about how they can prevent, reduce or delay those needs from increasing  Access timely support when they require it  Understand their strengths and capabilities  Consider the support available to them in the community and through other networks

14. Whole Family Approach  Assessor must consider impact of the person’s needs on family members and others in their network – refer for carers assessment or in the case of a young carer – YC assessment sect 63 Care Act S3 CA ‘89  When carrying out an adult or carers assessment if it appears that a young child is involved in providing care LA must consider:  The impact of the persons needs on the YC’s well being, welfare, education and development  Consider whether YC is undertaking any inappropriate caring responsibilities  Take into account the parenting needs of the person as well as the impact of the adult’s needs for care and support on the YC  LA can combine assessments but must have consent to do so

15. Eligibility criteria  National eligibility criteria sets a minimum threshold for carer support needs which LA’s must meet  Eligibility for support can only be determined once the assessment has been carried out  In considering whether a carer has eligible needs LA must consider whether;  The needs arise as a consequence of providing necessary care for an adult  The effect of the carer’s needs is that any of the circumstances specified in the eligibility criteria apply to the carer and  As a consequence of that fact there is or is likely to be significant impact on carer wellbeing  Carers’ needs are only eligible where they meet all three of these conditions

16. A carer meets the eligibility criteria if: Their needs are caused by providing necessary care for an adult. As a result: their health is at risk or they are unable to achieve specified outcomes As a consequence there is or is likely to be a significant impact on the carer’s well-being A carer is to be regarded as being unable to achieve an outcome if the carer: is unable to achieve it without assistance; is able to achieve it without assistance but doing so causes significant pain, distress or anxiety, or is likely to endanger health or safety The specified outcomes are: Carrying out any caring responsibilities the carer has for a child Providing care to other persons for whom the carer provides care Maintaining a habitable home environment Managing and maintaining nutrition Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships Engaging in work, training, education or volunteering Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community including recreational facilities or services Engaging in recreational activities Carers’ eligibility threshold

17. What have we done in Gloucestershire so far?  Newly commissioned suite of carer support – GCC/GCCG – countywide, all age, all disability.  Information, Advice and Guidance  Assessment and Support Planning  Short Breaks  Emotional Support  Carers Voice  In addition: Positive Caring Programme, Carers Emergency Scheme, Carers Flexible Budgets  Access: via separate carers assessment or brokerage and support planning following a combined assessment :CAF/Core/FACE

18. Cont..  Revised assessment process for adult, parent and young carers  Responsibility for undertaking separate assessments delegated to Carers Gloucestershire in partnership with Glos Young Carers.  GCC retains legal duty to assess and support carers  Information-sharing agreements in place  Development of Health and Social Care Carers Pathway  Work within GP surgeries to encourage GP’s to support and identify carers and refer on for assessment and support  Commissioned services and assessment process and assessment tools developed with Care Act 2014 compliance in mind

19. New GCC Separate Carers Assessment Process  New Separate Carers Assessment tool developed – co produced in partnership with carers, Carers Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire young carers 2gether NHS Trust and CYP CWD, TST’s  Well being and prevention principles embedded within the assessment tool  CG now first point of contact for carers requesting a separate assessment. Request triaged through Carers Line  Carer can be signposted to support in the community/info & advice  Carer an be offered specialist assessment  Separate carers assessments undertaken by CG or GCC – joint support planning where appropriate or  combined assessment – CAF/CORE/FACE – joint support planning and brokerage

20. Supporting Carers in Primary Care GCC working in partnership with primary care to develop a Health Pathway Focus is on identifying carers and signposting or referring on for assessment and support where appropriate why? – supported carers are more likely to be in good health themselves and continue to look after their own health needs. Visit to the surgery may be the only interaction that the carer has with a professional and the only chance they have to ask for support Social prescribing – GCCG leading – linking carers with non medical needs to sources of support in the community – art, physical activity, legal advice, employment, benefit support

21. Case Study

22. Having read the case study think about what you do now to identify, assess and support carers What do we/you need to do differently to meet the requirements of the Care Act 2014? What needs to change? What opportunities already exist to identify carers, promote well being, prevent, reduce and delay need for care and support 15 mins group discussion 15 mins feedback

23. Further information http://staffnet.gloscc.gov.uk/Carersassessments http://carersgloucestershire.org.uk/ http://www.glosyoungcarers.org.uk/ www.carersuk.org https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/up loads/attachment_data/file/366104/43380_2390277 7_Care_Act_Book.pdf