What to expect during and after your assessment / statement

Remember, this is your assessment. So you can ask questions to make sure it goes how you want it to.

The person doing the assessment might work for the council or trust. Or they may work for another organisation, like a charity, that has been asked to do the assessment.

It’s okay to ask people to slow down, or explain things, or to say that you would like a break.

Sometimes it can feel hard to say to adults what you would like, but it is okay to do this. It will help everyone to get the most out of the assessment.

It’s okay to say things are difficult. This doesn’t mean you are being unfair to the person you care for or that you or they will get into trouble.

It can sometimes be hard to say you don’t want to keep caring.

The person may write down what you are saying to help them remember what you said.

The person you care for should have the chance to take part in the discussion. If you’re under 18, your parent(s) should also be able to take part. This could happen with you or separately.

The law says the council or trust has to look at what you and your family need and work out how you can be supported.

What to expect after an assessment?

The council has to give a written copy of the assessment to you and anyone else you ask them to, for example your young carers support worker.

If you are under 18 the council has to give a written copy to your parent(s). Your parent(s) can also ask the council to give a copy to other people, for example a teacher at your school.

If you are worried about the written copy, or particular information, being shared with your parent(s) you should talk to the person doing the assessment and explain what you want.

The council has to decide what help they should be giving. This could involve giving help to the person that you look after, so that you do not have to do so much caring. You will be told about the sort of help you can have and how to get that help.

Help might include:

• having someone to help the person you care for get up in the morning, so that you can get to school or work on time.
• time away from the person you care for so that you can do other things that aren’t about caring. For example seeing friends, playing sports or relaxing.