Young carers

Supporting Young Carers in York

Young carers are children or young people who look after someone in their family who has an illness, a disability, a mental health problem or a substance misuse problem, taking on an inappropriate caring role. This may include practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult and which could have a detrimental effect on the young person.

There is nationwide guidance on support for young carers issued by Directors for Children’s Services and Adult Social Services. In summary this says:

• Practitioners will consider, within a whole family approach, the impact of the disability or illness on each child within the family and what additional services may be needed to ensure care needs are met and to prevent a child taking on or continuing to hold inappropriate caring responsibilities.
• Whichever service identifies there is a young carer in the family, whether it is children’s or adults’ social services, it is their responsibility to assess the needs of that young carer within that family context.

The Care Act (2014) states that young carers are able to request a Young Carers Assessment. Advice on this can be provided by the Children’s Advice Team on 01904 551900.

York Carers Centre is an independent charity  that helps unpaid carers in York find the support they need. They offer support to young people aged 8 to 18 years who are helping to look after someone at home.

More information is available at www.yorkcarerscentre.co.uk

The online elearning tool is available at http://www.ycctraining.co.uk/

Support in Schools

All schools in York are asked to have procedures in place to identify and support their young carers. Information and advice on this is available through the Carers Trust ‘Young Carers in Schools Award’.

https://youngcarersinschools.com/

More localised support for schools can be provided by York Carers Centre.

Young Carers Revolution

Young Carers Revolution is a movement of change for young carers in York. By developing a voice for young carers and using it well, this will make a positive difference to issues faced by young carers. You can also view a DVD made by the group, "The Unusual Suspects", to find out more about what it means to be a young carer.