Most people caring for a parent, partner or neighbour in Worthing and Adur never call themselves a carer. They are just doing what needs doing — the shopping, the medication, the three phone calls a day. The word matters, though, because almost everything on this page is triggered by using it. Say “I’m a carer” to a GP receptionist, a council call handler or a charity, and doors open that stay shut otherwise.
This is a directory of what exists locally, what each organisation actually does, and which of it is free.
Start with a carer’s assessment — it’s a legal right
Under the Care Act 2014, anyone who provides or intends to provide regular unpaid care has the right to a carer’s assessment from their local authority. In this area that is West Sussex County Council. You qualify on the appearance of need alone. You do not have to live with the person, be related to them, or be caring a set number of hours a week.
Three things families routinely get wrong about it:
- It is about you, not them. The assessment looks at your sleep, your health, your job, your relationships and whether you want to keep caring at this level. It is separate from the cared-for person’s care needs assessment, and you can have one even if they have refused theirs.
- It is not means-tested to get one. Savings affect what support costs, not whether you are assessed.
- It can produce money and things, not just a leaflet. Outcomes include a one-off carer’s personal budget or direct payment, funded replacement care so you can go out, help with transport or a course, equipment, or a referral into a specific service.
Be blunt in the assessment. Describe your worst week, not your average one, and say plainly what you cannot keep doing. Carers who describe themselves as “coping” are recorded as coping. If a budget is offered, taking it as a direct payment usually gives you more flexibility than a commissioned service.
Find care near you
Tell us your postcode and what you need help with. We pass your details to one vetted CQC-registered agency in your area — you are told who they are, and that they pay us a fee, before anything is sent.
The local organisations and what each one does
Carers Support West Sussex
The main carer organisation for the county and the single most useful first call. It carries out carer’s assessments on the council’s behalf, so contacting them is usually faster than the council switchboard. It also runs carer support groups across the county, one-to-one support workers, contingency and emergency planning, training, and the Carer Emergency Contact Card — more on that below. Registering is free and takes one conversation.
Carers UK
National rather than local, and worth using for what national charities do better: a detailed benefits and rights advice line, a benefits calculator, and online forums open at three in the morning when local services are not. Their guidance on carer’s leave and flexible working is the clearest available if you are holding a job together with caring.
Age UK West Sussex
Information and advice, benefits checks — including help completing Attendance Allowance forms, which is genuinely valuable because those forms defeat people — befriending, activity groups and practical help at home.
Alzheimer’s Society
Dementia Support Workers, the Dementia Connect support line, and local groups and activities. If dementia is the reason you are caring, this is the organisation that translates a diagnosis into what happens next. See our dementia-friendly Worthing guide for the local picture.
Dementia UK Admiral Nurses
Specialist dementia nurses whose clients are the family, not the patient. They work through the things nobody else has time for: challenging behaviour, refusal of care, the decision about a care home, the guilt. Access varies by area, but the national Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline is open to anyone in the country and does not need a referral. Useful alongside communication techniques when conversations have become difficult.
St Barnabas House
The local hospice, and its remit is wider than most families realise. Support for carers and families is free, does not require the person to be in the last days of life, and continues into bereavement. Day services, hospice at home, family support and counselling all sit under it. If you are caring for someone with a life-limiting condition, contact them early rather than at crisis point — see palliative care at home.
Carer groups, memory cafés and hubs
Worthing, Shoreham, Lancing, Southwick and the surrounding villages all have carer groups, memory cafés, lunch clubs and community hubs running through churches, libraries and community centres. Venues and times change too often to list reliably; Carers Support West Sussex and the council’s Connect to Support West Sussex directory both maintain current listings. The value is not the tea. It is sitting with six people who already understand the situation and do not need the backstory.
Tell your GP surgery you are a carer
Every GP practice keeps a carers register. Getting on it is a two-minute job at reception and it changes how the practice treats you:
- Flu and other vaccinations you may be eligible for as a carer
- Appointments arranged around your caring, and sometimes double appointments
- An annual carer’s health check in many practices
- A flag on your record, so a receptionist reading it understands why you are asking about someone else’s prescription
Ask separately whether the surgery has a social prescribing link worker. They are NHS-funded, they know the local voluntary sector better than anyone, and they can refer you into things you would never find yourself.
Emergency planning — the thing carers skip
The question worth answering before it is asked: if you were taken to hospital tonight, who would know that someone at home depends on you, and what would they do?
Carers Support West Sussex runs a free Carer Emergency Contact Card scheme. You register a plan naming who should be contacted and what needs to happen, and carry a card with a reference number. If you are admitted, the card activates your plan rather than leaving paramedics to guess.
Alongside it, write a one-page contingency plan and keep a copy visible at home: medication list, GP, key-holders, what a typical day involves, allergies, and the two people who could step in for 24 hours. Then have the awkward conversation with those two people in advance. Also check whether the person you care for should have a community alarm — Adur & Worthing Councils provide these — and read emergency respite care.
Money you may be entitled to
| Benefit | 2026/27 rate | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Carer’s Allowance | £86.45 a week | Requires 35+ hours of care a week, an earnings limit, and the person you care for must get a qualifying disability benefit. Can affect their benefits — check before claiming. |
| Attendance Allowance | £76.70 or £114.60 a week | For the cared-for person, over State Pension age. Not means-tested, ignores savings, and often unlocks Carer’s Allowance. |
| Carer’s Credit | National Insurance credit | For 20+ hours of care a week where you do not qualify for Carer’s Allowance. Protects your State Pension. |
| Council Tax | Discount or disregard | Live-in carers and people with severe mental impairment may be disregarded. Apply through Adur & Worthing Councils. |
Do not self-assess your entitlement. Get a full benefits check from Age UK West Sussex, Citizens Advice or Carers UK — the interaction between these benefits is genuinely complicated and underclaiming is the norm. Funding for the care itself is covered in our West Sussex funding guide.
Getting a break: the respite routes
In rough order of cost to you:
- Council-funded replacement care following a carer’s assessment or the cared-for person’s needs assessment. Free or contributory depending on their finances.
- Charity-funded breaks and sitting services — small grants, befriending visits and day services through the organisations above. Free, and chronically under-requested.
- Day services and groups that occupy the person for half a day. Often the most sustainable respite, because it repeats weekly.
- Paid respite from a CQC-registered agency — hourly sitting at £28–£38 an hour, overnight cover at around £210 for a sleeping night, or live-in respite at £1,400–£1,700 a week for a proper holiday.
Our respite care guide sets out how each works. And if you recognise yourself in exhaustion, resentment or dread rather than tiredness, read carer burnout — the local pattern is that people ask for help about a year after the point they needed it.
Frequently asked questions
Who can get a carer’s assessment in Worthing?
Anyone who provides regular unpaid care to an adult, under the Care Act 2014. You do not need to live with them, be related, or care for a minimum number of hours, and there is no means test to be assessed. West Sussex County Council is responsible, and Carers Support West Sussex carries out many assessments locally.
What support do unpaid carers get in West Sussex?
A carer’s assessment from the council, which can lead to a carer’s personal budget or funded replacement care; free registration, groups, training and emergency planning through Carers Support West Sussex; benefits advice through Age UK West Sussex and Citizens Advice; and condition-specific support from Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia UK and St Barnabas House.
How much is Carer’s Allowance in 2026?
£86.45 a week in 2026/27. You must provide at least 35 hours of care a week, earn under the limit after allowable expenses, and the person you care for must receive a qualifying disability benefit. Claiming can reduce some of their means-tested benefits, so get a benefits check first.
What is a Carer Emergency Contact Card?
A free scheme run by Carers Support West Sussex. You register a plan setting out who should be contacted and what must happen if you are suddenly unable to care, and carry a card with a reference number. If you are taken ill, the card triggers your plan instead of leaving emergency services to work it out.
Can I get a break from caring without paying?
Often, yes. Council-funded replacement care following an assessment, charity sitting services, day services and hospice day support are all free or low cost and are consistently under-used locally. Paid respite from a registered agency runs £28–£38 an hour, or £1,400–£1,700 a week for live-in cover.
The Care Panel is an independent publication. We are not a care provider and are not regulated by the Care Quality Commission, because we do not deliver care. Always check a provider’s own CQC registration and inspection report before you commit.
Written and fact-checked by The Care Panel. Last updated September 2026. Sources: the Care Act 2014, gov.uk guidance on Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Credit, NHS guidance for carers, Carers UK, Carers Support West Sussex, Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia UK. General information, not financial or medical advice.