Kinds of caring

Caring for more than one person is a challenge, especially as you can only claim Carer’s Allowance once even if you're looking after more than one person. But there may be other sources of support for both you and the people you're caring for. Read our pages on practical support to see how you may be able to get help.

Read our pages on financial help with support to check that you're getting all the financial help with practical support that you and the people you're looking after are entitled to.

One of the main ways of accessing practical support is by having a carer’s assessment for yourself and an assessment for the person you're looking after. See our pages on carers' assessments for more information.

When making a carer’s assessment, the local authority of the person you're looking after has a duty to consider how it can support you if you wish to undertake education, training or any leisure activity. Our section on caring and studying gives you ideas about how to get some all-important time to yourself.

If you're looking after more than one person, you may worry about what will happen to them if, in an emergency, you're unable to look after them. The section on emergencies has information on how to plan for emergencies.