A carer’s assessment is a free conversation with your local authority that looks at how your caring role is affecting your own life, health, and wellbeing. In Wales, under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, every unpaid carer has a legal right to request one — regardless of how many hours you care, whether you live with the person you look after, or what your financial situation is. The assessment can lead to practical support such as respite care, direct payments, equipment, and more.
If you’re looking after a family member, partner, or friend and you’re not being paid for it, you’re an unpaid carer — and you deserve support. This guide walks you through exactly how to get a carer’s assessment in Denbighshire, Conwy, or Wrexham, what to expect, and what can happen as a result.
What Is a Carer’s Assessment?
A carer’s assessment is not a test, and it’s not about judging how well you’re coping. It’s a structured conversation — usually with a social worker or assessor from your local authority — designed to understand the impact that caring is having on you personally. It covers things like your physical health, your emotional wellbeing, whether you’re able to work or study, your relationships, and what you’d like to achieve in your own life alongside your caring role.
The assessment is separate from any care needs assessment carried out for the person you look after. It’s entirely about you and what you need to keep going.
Who Qualifies for a Carer’s Assessment in Wales?
The eligibility rules in Wales are deliberately broad. You can request a carer’s assessment if you are providing unpaid care to someone. It does not matter:
- How many hours a week you care — even a few hours counts
- Whether you live with the person you look after or not
- What your relationship is to them — you could be their spouse, parent, adult child, sibling, neighbour, or friend
- Whether the person you care for has had their own assessment or not
- What your income or savings are — the assessment itself is completely free
Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, a carer is defined as “a person who provides or intends to provide care for an adult or disabled child.” If that describes you, you have a right to an assessment.
Your Legal Right to an Assessment
This is an important point and worth spelling out clearly. In Wales, local authorities have a legal duty to offer you a carer’s assessment if it appears that you need support. You do not need to wait for someone to offer it to you — you can request one yourself at any time. The local authority cannot refuse to carry one out, and it must be done regardless of the financial resources of either you or the person you care for.
The 2014 Act strengthened carers’ rights significantly compared to earlier legislation. It treats carers’ needs as equal in importance to the needs of the person receiving care. That’s a real shift, and it means you should feel confident in asking for support.
How to Request a Carer’s Assessment
Requesting an assessment is straightforward. Here’s what to do, step by step:
- Contact your local authority’s Single Point of Access (SPoA). This is the front door for adult social care in most Welsh councils. In Denbighshire, Conwy, and Wrexham, you can call them by phone or fill in a referral form online.
- Tell them you’re an unpaid carer and would like a carer’s assessment. You don’t need to use any specific words — just explain that you look after someone and you’d like to talk about the support available to you.
- They’ll arrange a time for the assessment. This is usually done face to face, either at your home or at a local authority office. Some assessments can be done over the phone if you prefer.
- Prepare for the conversation. It helps to think beforehand about how caring is affecting you — your sleep, your health, your social life, your work, and your emotional state. You can bring notes.
You don’t need a referral from your GP or anyone else. You can contact the Single Point of Access directly. If you’re not sure of the number, your GP surgery, local carers’ centre, or a quick search for “Single Point of Access” plus your council name will point you in the right direction.
What Happens During the Assessment?
The assessment is a conversation, not a form-filling exercise. The assessor will want to understand:
- What care you provide and how often
- How caring is affecting your physical and mental health
- Whether you’re able to do the things that matter to you — work, education, hobbies, seeing friends
- Whether you feel safe and well in your caring role
- What would help you — what kind of support would make the biggest difference
- Whether you’re willing and able to continue caring, and if so, what would make that sustainable
In Wales, the assessment is built around a “what matters” approach. Rather than ticking boxes, the assessor asks what matters most to you and works from there. It’s meant to feel like a genuine, person-centred conversation.
You can have someone with you during the assessment — a friend, family member, or an advocate. If English isn’t your first language, or if you’d prefer to have the conversation in Welsh, the local authority should be able to arrange that.
What Support Can You Get?
If the assessment identifies that you have support needs, the local authority will work with you to put together a support plan. The kinds of support that can result include:
- Respite care: Planned breaks from caring, with a professional care worker stepping in so you can rest. This might be a few hours of sit-in support, a full day, or a longer break. Read more in our guide to respite care.
- Direct payments: A budget paid directly to you so you can arrange your own support — for example, hiring a care worker from a registered provider like Accredilink.
- Equipment and adaptations: Things like grab rails, hoists, or assistive technology that make caring safer and easier.
- Emotional support: Referrals to counselling services, carer support groups, or peer networks where you can talk to people who understand what you’re going through.
- Information and advice: Guidance on benefits you may be entitled to, local services, and future planning.
- Carers’ groups and training: Practical skills training and local meet-ups that help you feel less isolated and more confident in your role.
For more on how care is funded in Wales, including the weekly cap on non-residential care charges, take a look at our guide to care funding in Wales.
Direct Payments Explained
Direct payments deserve a closer look because they can be genuinely life-changing. Instead of the local authority arranging services for you, they give you a cash budget and you choose how to spend it — as long as it meets your assessed needs. This gives you much more control and flexibility.
For example, you might use direct payments to book regular respite care sessions with a provider you trust, pay for a sitter so you can attend a weekly class, or arrange emergency cover when you need it. You’ll need to keep records of how the money is spent, and the local authority will review it periodically, but many carers find the freedom of direct payments far more practical than council-arranged services.
Carer’s Assessment vs. Care Needs Assessment — What’s the Difference?
These two assessments are related but separate, and it’s common for people to mix them up.
- A care needs assessment is for the person who needs care. It looks at what support they need with daily living — things like personal care, mobility, medication, and safety.
- A carer’s assessment is for you, the unpaid carer. It looks at how the caring role is affecting your life and what support you need to look after yourself.
You can have a carer’s assessment even if the person you care for hasn’t had a care needs assessment, and vice versa. They can happen at the same time or separately. The important thing is that your needs are looked at in their own right, not just as an extension of the other person’s care plan.
What If You Disagree with the Outcome?
If your carer’s assessment concludes that you don’t have eligible needs, or if you feel the support offered isn’t enough, you have options:
- Ask for a written explanation. The local authority should be able to tell you clearly why they reached their decision and what criteria they used.
- Request a review. If your circumstances change — or if you feel something was missed — you can ask for a reassessment at any time.
- Use the complaints process. Every local authority in Wales has a formal complaints procedure. If you feel your assessment wasn’t carried out properly, you can raise a complaint.
- Contact an advocate. Organisations like your local carers’ centre, Citizens Advice, or Age Cymru can support you in challenging a decision or navigating the system.
- Approach the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. If you’ve been through the complaints process and you’re still not satisfied, the Ombudsman can investigate.
Don’t be afraid to push back. The system is there to support you, and sometimes it takes a bit of persistence to get the right outcome.
How Accredilink Can Help
We’re a CIW-registered domiciliary care provider based in North Wales, serving families across Denbighshire, Conwy, and Wrexham. We work with many unpaid carers who’ve been through the assessment process and need practical support to keep going.
Here’s how we can help:
- Respite care: Planned breaks so you can rest, recharge, or simply have time for yourself. We can provide a few hours of cover or a full day, depending on what you need.
- Sit-in services: A care worker comes to the home and stays with your loved one while you step out — perfect for appointments, errands, or just a walk in fresh air.
- Emergency cover: If something unexpected comes up and you can’t be there, our team can step in at short notice.
- Support with direct payments: If you’ve received direct payments through your carer’s assessment, you can use them to book care with us. We’re happy to help you set that up.
If you’re going through the assessment process and you’re not sure what support is available, or if you’ve had your assessment and you’re ready to arrange some help, get in touch. We’re always happy to have a chat and talk through your options — no pressure, no obligation.