A parent carer, like all carers, is entitled to a carer's assessment to find out what help you need and how these needs can be met. In the case of parent carers, the assessment is known as a parent carers needs assessment (PCNA). An assessment outcome should mean support for you as a carer, and recognition of your role in your child's life.
When carrying out a parent carer's needs assessment, we must involve:
- the parent carer
- any child for whom the parent carer has parental responsibility
- any person who the parent carer asks us to involve.
About this assessment
The assessment is the means by which the parent carers needs can be understood and the way to identify which needs should be met by the council.
The assessment will consider:
- the wellbeing of the parent carer
- the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of the Disabled child cared for and any other child for whom the parent carer has parental responsibility.
By wellbeing, it means that we must consider your:
- personal dignity and respect
- physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing
- protection from abuse and neglect
- control by the individual over day-to-day life
- participation in work, education, training or recreation
- social and economic wellbeing
- domestic, family, and personal relationships
- suitability of living accommodation
- contribution to society.
Can I ask for a parent carer assessment?
As a parent carer you have a right to ask for an assessment of your needs at any time.
The law requires the local authority to assess parent carers on the appearance of need or where an assessment is requested by the parent.
The criteria for assessment as a parent carer relates to being able to identify the children as having a disability.
The accepted definition of 'disability' in H&F is from the Equalities Act (2010), which is a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
What does a good assessment look like?
A good parent carer needs assessment takes into account the views of the parent carer and the views of other relevant professionals or people who may know the family where appropriate. The assessment process should be used to consider:
- circumstances - partnership arrangements (if any) between parent carers, any additional caring responsibilities for wider family, and any contributions from other family members to caring tasks
- carer's tasks - the routine tasks which each carer undertakes including personal care, washing, dressing, feeding, laundry etc. and the span of these throughout the day/night
- impact of the caring role – the degree to which caring has a bearing (now and in the foreseeable future) on the emotional and physical health and wellbeing of the carer. As well as the impact, on family relationships and opportunities for leisure, education/training and expressing their faith
- the carer's views – what support does the person consider will benefit them.
How is an assessment completed?
The process starts with a self-assessment completed by the parent, followed by a discussion between a social care worker. This could be a worker from the Disabled Children's team or Stephen Wiltshire Centre. Once the assessment is completed, we will consider how best to meet your identified needs through the completion of a personal support plan.
If there is a social care worker already working with you from another team the specialist disability service will support, them in completing this work rather than introduce another worker to you.
The worker will talk through the issues with you, speak with any other relevant individuals in your network and consider with you how best to meet your identified needs. They will write up the conversation into an assessment document which will be shared with you for comment before being finalised.
What support can I expect after the assessment is completed?
Following assessment, the local authority must decide whether there is a need for support.
This may include:
- advice and signposting and support to access local services (specialist, targeted or universal)
- consideration of whether services under Children Act 1989 (s17) are required to meet the needs of your child or children in addition to your needs as a carer and are agreed with you, this may require an additional assessment of your child.