If you care for someone over 18 who lives in Suffolk, you are entitled to a carer's assessment from Suffolk County Council.
A carer's assessment is a friendly conversation designed to help you explore what support you may need in your role as an unpaid carer. It’s a chance to discuss how caring affects your life, wellbeing, and ability to achieve your own goals.
What does the assessment cover?
- Your caring role and whether you’re willing and able to continue
- The impact of caring on your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing
- Your feelings about caring and how it affects your work, leisure, education, and relationships
- Your needs for support and eligibility for help from the council
How does it work?
- You can request an assessment by contacting Adult Social Care (Customer First) or by completing an online self-assessment.
- The online assessment includes a wellbeing questionnaire and, if you wish to proceed, a more in-depth review of your daily life.
- Assessments may be carried out by Suffolk County Council or trusted partner organisations, such as Suffolk Family Carers.
What support is available?
- If you have eligible needs, you’ll receive a support plan, which may include a personal budget, advice, information, and connections to community resources.
- If you do not have eligible needs, you can still access advice and information to help you make use of local services and welfare benefits.
Eligibility
- All carers are entitled to an assessment, regardless of nationality or immigration status. However, some services are subject to eligibility criteria and immigration checks.
Preparing for your assessment
- Think about your sleep, health, ability to leave the person you care for, work commitments, relationships, and time for yourself.
- It may help to keep a diary or list of everything you do to support the person you care for.
Get started
- Contact Adult Social Care (Customer First) to request an assessment, or complete the online self-assessment.
Support is available whether or not you meet the eligibility criteria.
Any carer supporting someone over 18 who lives in Suffolk can request an assessment. Carers who do not live in Suffolk but care for someone who does are also eligible. All carers are entitled to an assessment, regardless of nationality or immigration status, but some services are subject to eligibility criteria and immigration checks. You may be asked to provide identity documents to verify nationality.