*The examples and names in this article are purely fictional for the representation of a user journey*

If you are a Western Australian carer and have questions regarding the Carer Gateway process, we have created a user journey to help answer your questions about how each stage may look.

The Carer Gateway user journey has been made to make the process as efficient and stress-free as possible. Carers WA have produced this user journey insight for you to understand what happens during the Carer Support Planning stages.

**Please note due to COVID-19 altering some Carer Support Planning processes, Carer Support Planners are working case by case with carers and changes may occur.**

Carer Gateway user journey steps

1) Intake:

When a carer calls the Carers WA Carer Gateway line, (1800 422 737, Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 5.00pm), they will be directed to Carers WA where they will speak to a Carer Support Planner. If you call outside operational times, your contact details will be taken and you will be contacted back during Carer Gateway hours. The Carer Support Planner will have a conversation with you, the carer, to learn about your situation, where you are located, what services are near you and when you’ll need this support. To learn more about the WA Carer Support Planners, read this article.

Example: “John, age 50, is a carer to his 75 year old mother, Jane, who lives with a chronic condition. He is the primary carer to Jane and is worried about his work/life balance. He is unsure if he can keep up with his finances whilst being a carer. John sometimes has to take time off work to transport his mother to medical appointments and he may not be able to do that in the future. He hears about Carer Gateway services in Western Australia from his local GP and decides to call the Carer Gateway line. He learns about the services provided to carers at no cost and how it may help his caring role. He tells the Carer Support Planners his details and caring situation.”

2) Registration:

Your client record will be created so you won’t have to repeat any information again. This is done in a secure system where only Carers WA staff can access this information.

Example: “John’s details of his caring role with his mother are recorded by the Carer Support Planner. This is done so that if John calls again in the future, they are able to see his situation right away and he won’t need to repeat himself.”

3) Understanding the carer:

So that your Carer Support Planner can capture a comprehensive understanding of your circumstances and identify areas where supports may assist in alleviating strain, they will arrange a suitable time to complete an assessment of your needs using the Carers Star™ assessment tool. This assessment typically takes approximately 1 hour to complete and can be conducted in a single phone session or through multiple conversations – whatever works best for you. The Carer Support Planner will need to know information about your caring role so that they can determine what supports and services may assist you best.

Example: “John speaks numerous times with a Carer Support Planner as he wasn’t able to speak for more than 30 minutes at a time due to his busy schedule. These conversations helped both John and the Carer Support Planner understand his priorities, they determined his eligibility of supports and services and the urgency of his situation. John was grateful that the conversations were practical and straightforward, and that tricky subjects were made comfortable, including talking about his financial situation whilst caring.”

4) Planning:

After the Carers Star™ assessment is complete and areas of priority are identified, your Carer Support Planner will develop an action plan with SMART goals and relevant supports, tailored to best address your circumstances.

Example: “The Carer Support Planners identified the areas which Carer Gateway could assist with. John was struggling with having time to take his mother to her medical appointments and financially supporting himself and his mother. The situation was causing him to feel stressed for the future and affecting his health. The Carer Support Planners then created an action plan with goals with this information from John.”

5) Coordination:

The Carer Support Planner will assist in coordinating relevant services and supports identified in your action plan.

Example: “The Carer Support Planners recommend John well-known or locally available services that suit John’s needs. They help with the issues identified in the planning step.”

6) Service delivery:

You will receive a copy of your action plan via email or post, depending on your preference. Once you have received your action plan, you are able to manage your allocated supports. These supports can include counselling, peer support, respite and more. To find out what other Carer Gateway services are available, click here.

Example: “John received his supports through post mail. He was eligible for a Carer Directed Package which helped him cover the costs of taxi travel to medical appointments and for his planned respite. He also had access to counselling, which helped him navigate his emotions. With these supports, John’s caring role easier for him to manage.”

7) Checking back in:

The Carer Support Planner will check back in with you to discuss how you action plan is going and answer any questions or queries you may have. If you feel changes to your action plan are required, the Carer Support Planner will return back to the Carers Star™ assessment process to determine how the action plan can be adjusted to best suit your requirements.

Example: “John was called by his Carer Support Planner who asked him how everything was going around 6 weeks after he started receiving his supports. He had accomplished his goals from the action plan and did not have any major issues. If John was not fulfilling his goals, the Carer Support Planners and John may go back into the planning stage to reassess and create a new plan that would suit his needs better.”

To read more Carer Gateway stories, click here.

If you have any enquiries, please contact Carers WA on 1300 227 377 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm) or email info@carerwa.asn.au.