Helping those working with young people
All practitioners who work with children, as well as those working with adults with health and/or care and support needs, have a key role in identifying young carers.
As a result of the Care Act 2014 all young carers have the right to an assessment and support where needed.
If you are working directly with young people or adults who have a disability, long-term illness, mental health difficulties or substance misuse they may have children who are undertaking some care.
A snapshot survey by the Young Carers Alliance in 2022 found that on average young carers cared for three years before being identified. Some young carers care for over 10 years before being linked into support.
So, everyone's help identifying and providing information on where they can get support if needed is welcomed!
We recognise the important role of young carers and we offer help and support to young carers aged 5-18 years in Bristol and 8- 17 years in South Gloucestershire; their families and professionals working with young carers. We can help.
What our young carers service offer to professionals
A range of support for schools
Awareness and training CPD sessions for professionals in all settings
We provide a range of awareness and training sessions for professionals. This can be anything from a 15-minute overview to half day more training that can cover:
- Young carers experiences
- The impact of caring
- Local context
- How to identify
- Raising awareness with parents/ guardians
- Support young carers needs
- Referral pathways
Young carers co-design and are involved where possible in the delivery of our training.
Contact us for more details.
Advice and guidance on creating a young carer-friendly environment
Identifying young carers
This will depend on your setting, issues to consider are:
Are staff alert to the need to identify potential young carers?
- Be aware there may be fear around sharing their story, so take time to ask
- Remember the young carer is the expert in their own lives
- Ask the young carers what they feel they need – what would help
- Learn about the barriers young carers face to get the support they need and reach their potential.
How to raise awareness about young carers and the support available to them
- Have information on your website and on notice boards where service users are.
- Take the opportunity to raise awareness of who young carers are when you meet with families and/or young people.
- Highlight Young Carers Action Day (held in March each year)
Young Carers Charter
Members of our Young Carers Voice produced a Young Carers Charter that they would like to see all relevant organisations sign up to. Here are some ways organisations can use it:
- Review how young carer-friendly your organisation is by identifying how the organisation implements each point of the charter.
- Use it as a topic of discussion in staff team meetings
Helping Laila back into school
Laila* is a 14-year-old young carer who is living with her mother, her 10-year-old brother and her 6-year-old sister. Laila helps to care for her younger sister who has severe, non-verbal autism, epilepsy, hypermobility, learning difficulties and developmental delay; and her mum who suffers from fibromyalgia and mental ill-health.
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Find out about our Young Carers in Schools programme to help schools do great things for young carers.
We provide help and support to children aged 8-18 in South Gloucestershire and 5-18 in Bristol, their families and professionals working with young carers in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
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