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Just under a third of carers have been assessed for support needs by social services despite a government pledge to make the practice available to all carers, writes Amy Taylor.

New research by charity Carers UK finds that almost half of the carers who had not been assessed had not been informed of their right to an assessment.

A third were unaware of the reason for being assessed and a quarter saw the practice as pointless, believing it would not lead to any more support. This view was found to be exacerbated by some social services staff's negative attitude towards assessments.

Charity chief executive Diana Whitworth attributed the poor assessment levels to local authority staff being unaware of the new legislation and to underfunding of the social care sector, with many councils saying they did not have the money to provide carers with adequate support.

The survey, which covered nearly two thousand carers, also shows that more than half of those who had an assessment did not end up receiving any extra services as a result, even though two thirds of them felt they were not getting the support they required.

Carers UK is arguing for a legal duty to be placed on local authorities to inform carers of their right to an assessment, as is already the case in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It also wants the government to propose action for the next phase of the national strategy for carers.

'Missed Opportunities' from 020 7566 7626

Carers UK