Parent carer needs assessment

A parent carer needs assessment looks at you, not your child: how caring affects your health, work, sleep and life, and what support would help you keep going. It comes from section 17ZD of the Children Act 1989, which is why you sometimes see it written as a section 17ZD assessment or PCNA.

The part almost no parent knows: if you have parental responsibility for a disabled child and you ask for this assessment, the council Local authority Your local council. In England, Wales and Scotland, this is the body you ask to assess what extra help your child needs. Read the full definition of Local authority must carry it out. You do not have to wait to be offered one, and your child does not need a diagnosis, the duty applies to disabled children generally. Ask children's services at your council, and put the request in writing so there is a date on it. This is the law in England; the other nations have their own carer assessment routes.