Carers dictionary

A violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. This can be physical, sexual, psychological, financial or material, neglect and acts of omission, or discriminatory abuse.

Advanced directives are legal documents that allow you to dictate your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They give you a way to communicate your wishes to family, friends, and health care professionals within a signed binding document to avoid confusion later on. Also known as advance decision, advance decision to refuse treatment (ADRT) or a living will.

This is to help you if you are not being listened to, heard or understood by others and to enable you to be responded to appropriately by professionals and services.

Someone who is able to support and represent you or the person you care for, for the purpose of facilitating your involvement. An advocate's role includes arguing your case when you need them to, and making sure the correct procedures are followed by your health and social care services.

Includes both practical and emotional support. Care may relate to being 'anxious and stressed waiting for, or actively seeking to prevent, the next crisis'. It encompasses both the notion of 'caring about someone' as well as 'caring for them'.

The Act contains provisions relating to adult care and support and health.

A plan of treatment and care for the person you look after, which also includes what you can do to help keep them well and how to manage their symptoms.

Someone 18 or over who provides or intends to provide care for someone, but is not contracted to provide the care or providing the care as formal 'voluntary work'.

A carer’s assessment looks at your needs as a carer and the sustainability of your caring role, including the practical and emotional support you provide.

Carer's Allowance (CA) is paid at £61.35 a week (2014/15 rate). It is taxable, but only if you have other sources of taxable income such as an occupational pension or earnings. CA is not means-tested, which means it is not based on your income or savings. However, not every carer can get CA. You must meet certain criteria before you can claim CA.

Refers to a person's responsibility to care for an immediate family member, like a parent or sibling with a disability, or a dependent child.

According to the Children Act 1989, a child is a child in need if:
- He or she is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity to achieve or maintain, a reasonable standard of health or development without provision of services from the local authority
- His or her health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of services from the local authority
- He or she has a disability.

The Act contains the duties and responsibilities of local authorities, courts, parents and other agencies in the United Kingdom to ensure children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted.

Children Act assessments are carried out under the Children Act 1989.
They look at the needs of disabled children (under 18 years of age) and their families and can also provide services for young carers. The assessment should consider all the help that your disabled child needs, the needs of any other children in the family and the help that you may need to care for the disabled child.

If you and the person you care for agree, a combined assessment of both your needs can be undertaken at the same time.

Also called care and support needs assessment. It is an evaluation performed by a social worker which looks at the help needed by the person you are looking after. It will also look at everyone affected by the care provided to the person in question, not just the individual providing most of the care. It can result in a decision to provide or arrange services that are needed. There are different assessments for carers, disabled adults and children and their families.

Continuity means making sure that, when an adult who is receiving care and support in one area of England moves home, they will continue to receive care on the day of their arrival in the new area. This means that there should be no gap in care and support when people choose to move.

Local authorities have a duty to assess carers' needs; this is triggered by the appearance of need and is no longer dependent upon the carer making a request or providing (or intending to provide) regular or substantial care.

Family or close friends who provide a variety of emotional and practical support. This caring is generally unpaid and carried out on a voluntary basis.

NHS continuing healthcare, also known as NHS continuing care or "fully funded NHS care", is free of charge care outside of hospital that is arranged and funded by the NHS. This means that you will receive care and support to meet your assessed needs at no cost to you.

An adult who provides or intends to provide care for a disabled child for whom the person has parental responsibility.

This must always be an amount sufficient to meet the person's care and support needs, and must include the cost to the local authority of meeting the person's needs which the local authority is under a duty to meet, or has exercised its power to do so. This overall cost must then be broken down into the amount the person must pay, following the financial assessment, and the remainder of the budget that the authority will pay.

Services that local authorities should provide in order to reduce carers' need for support.

A carer’s assessment can be carried out with or without the person you are looking after being present. It is up to you. If you have it without, then this is called a private assessment. You can also have a family member, a friend or a professional person such as a Carers Support Worker from a carer’s centre with you if you wish. Having someone with you should be discussed when the assessment meeting is being arranged.

PSHE stands for Personal Social Health and Economic education and includes lessons on young carers' issues.

It is important that carers have regular breaks and make time for their own needs. Social services can arrange alternative care for the person you are looking after so that you can take a break from caring. This is usually called respite care, or sometimes called replacement care.

Safeguarding means protecting people’s health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. It is fundamental to creating high-quality health and social care. This applies to children, young people and adults whose circumstances make them vulnerable.

Self-advocacy is about enabling you to get your own voice heard. This means speaking up for yourself and for the person you care for.

Any adult aged over 18 who is or may be in need of care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

Refers to the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.

When carrying out any assessment, local councils are expected to adopt what is called a whole family approach. This means considering how the needs of the person being assessed impacts on other family members, or anyone in their support network.

Anyone under the age of 18 years who helps to look after someone with a physical or long term illness.