Recommendation 31

We recognise that it is not always easy to engage with people who do not identify as “carers”, but more must be done to ensure that carers receive the support to which they are entitled, and that the support they receive is useful to them. All carers are legally entitled to a carers assessment, but under the current arrangements it seems that only 1 in 4 has received one. This is not acceptable. The Government should carry out a review of carers assessments, including of the terminology, co-produced with carers. The new assurance framework should include a requirement to report on the number of carers assessments conducted by local authorities, from which targets should be set in alignment with the workforce strategy we have recommended. Consideration should also be given to how the new data framework can help to identify carers. (Paragraph 130) Health, care, and housing integration