If you are a parent caring for a child with disabilities or additional needs, you may be eligible for a Parent Carer Needs Assessment.
While caring can be rewarding, it can also affect your capacity to do other things or to look after yourself.
This service offers an opportunity for you to talk to someone about your caring role, how it affects you and where you may need some extra support.
What is a “Parent Carers Needs Assessment”?
A Parent Carer Needs Assessment is a one-to-one conversation with you to understand how caring affects you and where you may need some extra support. It covers practical matters as well as exploring how caring affects your physical and mental health, work, free time and relationships.
It is not a test of your parenting or caring ability. It is used to help you to identify and access support that could make your life as a carer easier.
It is separate to any assessment that the child(ren) may have, which focuses on their needs.
Norfolk County Council is required to offer these assessments to eligible parents under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Who is this service for?
This service is for parents of children with disabilities or additional needs (called “parent carers” in the legislation). A parent carer is anyone with parental responsibility for the child. This includes birth parents, adoptive parents and relatives with legal responsibility.
Other family members who do not have parental responsibility (for example, a grandparent, aunt or uncle) may also be able to access assessments if they are providing substantial and regular care for the child (usually defined as 35 hours or more per week).
What if a child has more than one “parent carer”?
Each parent carer of the child can have their own Parent Carer Needs Assessment and access their own support. This is because each may face different challenges and have different support needs even if they are looking after the same child.
How to ask for a Parent Carer Needs Assessment
This is a service offered by Norfolk County Council and is currently on pause until the 1st of May. From then, you can ask for a Parent Carer Needs Assessment by calling 0344 800 8020, clicking the “Request Early Help” button on their website, or speaking to your child’s allocated worker, if you have one.
What extra support could parent carers receive?
Following a Parent Carer Needs Assessment, you may be referred on to NCC’s partner organisation, called Kids, for extra support. Kids can help you to put together a personalised support plan based on the needs identified through your assessment. Kids also offer a range of support services for parent carers, including:
- Bespoke workshops providing information and strategies tailored to specific needs
- The ‘Healthy Parent Carer’ programme, designed to support parent carers’ resilience
- Coffee mornings and drop-in sessions
- One-to-one support
If you prefer, you can also complete the initial Parent Carer Needs Assessment with Kids instead of with Norfolk County Council staff. However, you still need to arrange this through Norfolk County Council using one of the three methods listed above. Please be aware that assessments completed by Kids are still held by and shared with Norfolk County Council. All parent carers are eligible to be referred on for support from Kids, whether their assessment is completed by Kids or by Norfolk County Council staff.