Our parent carers matter.
A Parent Carer Needs Assessment (PCNA) is a ‘conversational assessment’ which helps us to understand how you, as a parent carer, are affected by your caring role. We will talk to you about your wellbeing, feelings and the choices you can make about caring.
This helps us to explore what help might be accessible to you as a carer of a child or young person with additional needs or disabilities.
Requesting an assessment
You can ask for a parent carer needs assessment if you live in Devon and care for a disabled child. If we are already working with you, you can ask your social care worker to do this with you either as part of your existing assessment or separately. You only need to tell us what you are comfortable with but the more information we have, the easier it is to understand what might support you.
When you book, we ask for some information. This helps us to ensure that the conversation is meaningful.
After you request an assessment
Once you have made a booking you will receive an invite to meet with us and talk about your needs. You can cancel or rearrange this if it is not longer suitable through the ‘manage meeting’ option.
You will receive an email reminder, because we know your lives are busy.
After your conversation with us we will send an email asking for feedback. This helps us to improve our services based on your experiences.
Following an assessment
Once we have developed an understanding of your needs and the impact on you as a parent carers, we might put you in touch with services that can support you. These will be tailored to your specific needs and may include services such as:
- a benefits check through the Quids for Kids programme – this makes sure you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to
- Home-Start – who can provide you with a volunteer to help support you in the home
- TALKWORKS – support to help you look after your own mental health and wellbeing
- an early help assessment or Team around the family – an assessment for early intervention services to support the whole family
- Team around the child – a single or set of led meetings to bring together those who know the child best in order to consider how to meet their needs – this is appropriate where there are no wider family needs or complicating factors
- adult social care – support with your own social care needs, if appropriate
- advice, strategies, and resources – giving access to the tools you need to manage or understand your child’s behaviour or providing details of local services which may support you – including parent carer-led groups
- Young Carers – this helps siblings to get the support they might need.