Carers' charter

5: Carer involvement in services

You have a right to be involved in services

a) Local authorities and health boards must involve carers in planning the carer services they provide.

b) Local authorities must involve carers in assessing their needs for support and providing that support.

c) Local authorities must take carers' views into account in assessing the needs of the person being cared for.

d) Local authorities must consider the views of carers and carer representatives when preparing and reviewing short breaks services statements.

This means

a) Your local authority and health board must 'take such steps as they consider appropriate' to involve carers and carer representatives in the planning and evaluation of services that support carers. This includes the local authority preparing the local carer strategy. It also includes planning services for people being cared for where those services relate to the care that carers provide.

b) Your local authority must involve you in assessing your needs for support and decisions about how any such support is to be provided. These issues will normally be included in the conversation as part of your adult carer support plan or young carer statement.

c) Your local authority must take your views into account in assessing the needs of the person being cared for, as far as that is 'reasonable and practical'. They must also take account of the care that you are providing, or intend to provide. This means, for example, if you are able to provide care in the evening but not during the daytime, the support needs of the person you are caring for should be considered with this in mind.

d) Each local authority must consider the views of carers and carer representatives when preparing and reviewing their short breaks services statement. This will help to ensure that the statement remains fit for purpose and appropriate to the needs of local carers.

Who is responsible?

a) All local authorities and health boards have a responsibility to listen to the views of carers in the strategic planning of carer services. Carer representatives and carer organisations may do this on your behalf.

b) and c) The local authority ^[7] where the person you are caring for lives is responsible for involving you in decisions about support for you and the person you care for.

d) As part of the requirement to establish and maintain an information and advice service for carers, each local authority is responsible for considering the views of carers and carer representatives in its area when preparing and reviewing their short breaks services statement.