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1.  [Home](/)
2.  [Caring for elderly parents](/caring-for-elderly-parents)
3.  Carer's assessment 

Your rights

# The carer's assessment, explained

It is free, it is a legal right, and most unpaid carers have never had one — usually because nobody told them it existed.

[Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features)

## What it is

An assessment by your local council of your own needs as an unpaid carer. It is separate from any assessment of the person you care for, and it does not depend on your income or savings, or on how many hours you provide.

You are entitled to one even if the person you care for refuses their own assessment.

## How to ask

-   Search for your council's adult social care team and ask for a carer's assessment by name. 
-   Say clearly that you are an unpaid carer and describe a typical week. 
-   Ask for it in writing if a phone call goes nowhere. 
-   A local carers' centre or Carers UK can make the request alongside you if that feels easier. 

## What to say in it

Describe your worst weeks, not your best ones. Carers habitually understate, and the assessment records what you say rather than what an assessor guesses.

Mention sleep, your own health, your job, and anything you have given up. All of those count.

## What can come from it

-   Respite so you can have a break. 
-   A direct payment for something that makes caring possible. 
-   Training, equipment, or help with transport. 
-   A referral to a local carers' service, which is often the most useful outcome of all. 

## The wider picture

a legal right

every unpaid carer in England can ask their council for a carer's assessment, whatever their income or savings.

Source: [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/support-and-benefits-for-carers/carer-assessments/)

5.0 million

people in England and Wales provide unpaid care, according to the 2021 Census.

Source: [Office for National Statistics, Census 2021](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/unpaidcareenglandandwales/census2021)

## Being straight with you

You Care Reminders is a non-medical wellness tool, not a monitoring service and not an alarm. Delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. If you are worried about someone's health, speak to their GP; in an emergency, call 999.

## Questions carers ask

### Does it cost anything?

### How long does it take?

### Do I have to live with them?

### What if I am refused?

## Read next

-   [Carer burnout](/carer-burnout-early-signs)
-   [Respite care in the UK](/respite-care-uk)
-   [Caring for elderly parents](/caring-for-elderly-parents)
-   [Care glossary](/care-glossary)

## Set the first reminder tonight

It takes about five minutes, costs nothing to start, and the person you care for has nothing to install.

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You Care Reminders 

Thoughtful reminders that help families stay quietly connected to the people they love.

Wellness support, not medical advice.

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-   [Dementia check-ins](/dementia-check-in-service)
-   [Daily prompts for MCI](/mild-cognitive-impairment-daily-prompts)
-   [Drink & meal reminders](/dehydration-reminders-elderly)
-   [Compared to dementia clocks](/vs-dementia-clocks)
-   [Why smart alarms fail](/why-smart-alarms-fail-older-adults)

More scenarios

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-   [Caring for elderly parents](/caring-for-elderly-parents)
-   [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home)
-   [Mild cognitive impairment](/mild-cognitive-impairment)
-   [Dementia clocks](/dementia-clocks)
-   [Signs of dehydration](/signs-of-dehydration-in-older-adults)
-   [Carer burnout](/carer-burnout-early-signs)
-   [Respite care](/respite-care-uk)

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