Tell us what you think about the Care Act
The new Care Act, which came into force on 1 April 2015, gave carers rights on a par with the people they care for, and this includes an entitlement to an assessment of their own needs.
One year on, we would like to know what effect it has had on you. Carers Trust has launched a review of the Care Act to look at what difference the act has made to unpaid carers after a year.
Paul Burstow, who came to meet carers in Cambridgeshire when he was coalition Care Minister, will chair a commission receiving evidence from carers and carers organisations and hearing their views on how well they think the act is working – what has worked well and what still needs to be improved.
The call for evidence opened on 1 February and will run for seven weeks until 18 March. The findings will be reviewed by a panel of experts and advisers and the details will be released in a report in summer.
The new Care Act includes taking into consideration the carer’s health and wellbeing, family relationships and their need to balance their home life with their education or work. If they are found to be eligible they are entitled to support funded by their local authority. In addition, all local authorities must provide advice and information and prevent carers’ needs from getting worse.
