Client Support and Rehabilitation Service: When caring becomes part of family life

Finding yourself in a caring role when a family member has been injured at the fault of another can be life-changing as it is. Finding that it impacts your ability to work — and, by extension, your income — only compounds the challenge.

But if Ashtons Legal is involved in the case, you are not on your own.

When our Client Support and Rehabilitation Service (CSRS) are asked to complete an initial needs assessment, we assess everyone in the client’s household to identify their needs.

Carers are not alone

CSRS are here to look after the whole family, not just the injured client, and that includes alleviating the pressures of the carer role.

CSRS can assist carers in accessing carer-related benefits and in providing other helpful support (such as funding short breaks from the caring role) whilst waiting for financial compensation from the negligent party.

In the unfortunate circumstance where a loved one has passed away, CSRS are able to access bereavement support, such as counselling.

There is also help for children who find themselves in a young carer role.

Community benefits

CSRS supports carers in applying for carer-related benefits as part of the service, such as Carer’s Allowance. This is a non-means-tested benefit paid to carers who meet the following criteria:

• they look after someone for at least 35 hours a week
• they don’t earn more than £196 per week
• the person they care for receives a disability benefit
• they’re aged 16 or over
• they’re not in full-time education.

It is worth knowing that Carers Allowance pays class one national insurance (NI) contribution credits towards a person’s state pension, and so is a valuable benefit.

Another benefit that carers may wish to claim if they are unable to work is Universal Credit. If a carer provides care for at least 35 hours a week to someone who receives a qualifying disability benefit, they may receive the ‘Carers Element’ as part of their claim.

Carer’s Allowance reduces Universal Credit by an equal amount, but the NI credits may mean the benefits outweigh the reduction.

Local Authority funding

CSRS may also support clients who meet the eligibility criteria to receive funding for professional carers to look after them, to give their carers a rest (called ‘respite’) from their caring role. This funding can be provided in different ways, depending on the client and carers’ wishes:

• Direct Payments where the client or their carers organise to employ carers themselves
• funding can be paid directly to a care agency or respite placement.

In addition, CSRS may help in applying for a separate carers assessment by the local authority, which enables carers to access a carers fund. This type of funding can be awarded for many different reasons, such as therapy or even purchasing a laptop, should the carer find it difficult to leave the house to go shopping, for example.

Anyone over the age of 18 who provides regular unpaid care to another adult who is ill, disabled, or elderly is entitled to request a ‘Carers Assessment’ from their local authority.

It is worth noting that the person who is cared for does not need to be receiving local authority support already to access a carer’s assessment.

Championing Carers Rights

Carers’ Rights Day is a national campaign organised by the charity Carers UK, and this year it will be held on Thursday 20 November 2025.

The day is a national awareness campaign aimed at ensuring carers know their rights and where to get help, and at raising awareness of carers’ needs.

CSRS supports this concept, as we understand that supporting a carer indirectly supports our client, and we strive to provide the very best for our clients.

Contact our injury law solicitors today

If you believe we can assist you when pursuing a Personal Injury or Medical Negligence claim, please get in contact with us on 0330 404 0777 or fill out our online enquiry form to speak to one of our specialists.

Our experienced team of lawyers will be able to offer advice and guide you through every step of the claims process, and our in-house rehabilitation coordinators can help to support you through your recovery.