Case Management - How to get an assessment

Before Children's Services can arrange for a service to be provided to you, you have to be assessed as needing the service by Case Management.

To have an assessment either you or someone on your behalf must contact a Children's Services office ( 28kb) and arrange for a member of staff to come and see you. Alternatively you can email us.

Before anyone comes to see you, you should be sent or given a copy of  a leaflet that explains what an assessment is, what to expect during an assessment and how to prepare for an assessment.

An assessment is a way of looking at your needs with you and your carers and deciding how best we can support and help you.

Carers assessment

When you are a carer you are also entitled to an assessment of your own so that you can tell us about your own needs as a carer. This is not about your capability to care but genuinely about ways in which we can make it easier for you. This is called a carer's assessment where we can look at your needs even if the person you care for has refused an assessment.

To have an assessment either you or someone on your behalf must contact a Children's Services office ( 28kb) and arrange for a member of staff from social care to come and see you.

An assessment is not a test. It is a way of finding out about your caring role and your own needs and agreeing with you how best we can support you. This support can help you to continue with your caring responsibilities, maintain your own health and well being or help you when you can no longer care.

To complete your assessment a member of staff will usually meet with you and the person you care for. This may be once or a number of times. You will also have the opportunity to speak to the member of staff (Assessor) on your own.

We will listen carefully to what you have to say and agree with you a plan to help and support you. We will try our best to offer you any services you need as soon as possible. There are often many more people needing services than there are services to give. This means that sometimes although you need a particular service, you might not be able to get it straight away. If this happens we will always try to find an alternative.

The documents above are in PDF () format, which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Other help for carers:

Sunderland Carers' Centre provides a confidential information, advice and support service to people looking after ill, disabled or frail family members or friends. The Centre also offers carers support groups, support at meetings with social workers, psychiatrists, consultants etc, courses, and social activities and a free newsletter every two months.

Sunderland Carers' Centre
12 Toward Road, Sunderland SR1 2QF
Tel: 0191 567 3232
Email: carers.info@virgin.net
Website: www.sunderland.nhs.uk/carers

Health and social care assessments

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