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Lancashire Carers Service

We provide vital support to carers on our behalf to help them with their crucial role.

It provides:

  • access to a 24-hour-a-day carers advice chatline

  • help for carers to create emergency plans to prepare for situations where they are unable to provide their role

  • a Volunteer Befriending and Sitting in Service to help you find company and take a break

  • a huge range of digital information resources and much more

To find out more about the support:

You can also get free support from Carers Count.

Carers assessment

If you are a carer, you may find it easier to continue in your caring role if you can get some more formal support.

If you are:

  • caring for a disabled child under 18

  • an unpaid carer of someone over 18

  • under 18 and have caring responsibilities

You may be able to request a Carer's Assessment, which could result in help for you or the person that you care for.

To request an assessment, contact our social care team on 0300 123 6720.

Alternatively, you can ask your GP, health visitor or a voluntary organisation to contact us on your behalf or call Lancashire Carers Service on 0345 688 7113.

If your child is disabled and under 18, you can find out about the support we offer at our children, education and families page.

Am I a carer?

If you give unpaid care to someone over the age of 18 because of their age, disability or any other issues by supporting them with any of these tasks, you are a carer:

  • helping with washing, dressing, eating or any other daily tasks

  • taking them to regular appointments

  • keeping them company when they feel lonely or anxious

You could be caring for a friend, loved one, family or neighbour.

Around one in 10 people in Lancashire are a carer, but they often don't see themselves as a carer. They just see themselves as helping a friend or family member.

If you are a carer and contact us, it's likely you'll be able to access a range of support to help you. You can find out more about the support we offer at this page.

If you feel you will still need more formal social care support, you can ask us for a carers assessment so we can check whether you are eligible.

Support and benefits

There is a range of support and benefits available to you as a carer. The extra help could prove crucial in your caring role.

Extra support

You can access the following support easily without needing a carers assessment:

Technology Enabled Care (TEC) is technology and supporting services that help you to stay independent or get help in an emergency.

Devices such as personal alarms and sensors for your home are linked to a 24/7 response centre.

You must be a Lancashire resident aged over 18 to get TEC.

You don't need to be receiving any health or social care help and you do not need to have had a social care assessment.

For more information, visit our TEC page.

AskSARA can help you find useful information about products and equipment to make daily living activities easier.

Using AskSARA you can:

  • get advice on daily living activities without needing a formal assessment

  • make equipment choices based on your needs

  • find where to look for products or equipment

To find out more, visit the AskSARA website.

There are dozens of voluntary, community, faith and enterprise groups across Lancashire who could provide vital support for you and the person you care for.

To find out more about the support available in your area, contact our adult services team on 0300 123 6720.

Here are some of the government benefits that could help you in your caring role.

You could get £81.90 a week if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits. You must be earning below £151 per week. 

To find out more, visit the Carer's Allowance page at GOV.UK

If you're caring for someone for at least 20 hours per week, you could receive carer's credit. Carer's Credit is a national insurance credit that helps with gaps in the carer's national insurance record. It means that if you take on extra caring responsibilities, it does not affect your ability to qualify for the state pension. 

To get carer's credit, you must be aged 16 or over, under state pension age, looking after one or more people for at least 20 hours per week and the person/people you are supporting must get certain benefits. 

For further details and to apply, please follow this link: Carer's Credit: Overview - GOV.UK

Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. It’s paid monthly.

You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work.

Find out more, visit the universal credit page on GOV.UK website.

Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income.

Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.

To find out more, visit the pension credit page on GOV.UK.

For more advice about benefits available for carers, contact our Welfare Rights Service.

To find out about our full range of adult social care support, visit our adult social care webpage.