Helping families

Young carer’s rights

How to build strong, trusting connections with families

Young carers’ rights

Local Authorities have a responsibility to find ways of identifying young carers living in their area. They also have a responsibility to identify the support needs of the young carers in their area. Once young carers have been identified, or have self-identified and asked for help, they are entitled to be offered a Young Carers’ Needs Assessment. The assessment should be completed by someone who has attended training to understand more about what it is like to be a young carer.

Young Carers’ Needs Assessments

The purpose of a Young Carers’ Needs Assessment is to gather a full understanding of the young person’s caring role, how it is impacting them and whether it is preventing them from participating in important areas of their lives. The assessment should result in a detailed support plan for a young carer that identifies how their needs will be met through universal and community services.

You, as parents of the young carer must be involved in the process of assessment, to ensure an accurate and comprehensive family picture is gathered. Assessments should be reviewed annually.

You can find more information about young carers’ rights in the Children and Families Act here and in the Care Act here

Training for professionals

In order to offer Young Carers’ Needs Assessments, local authority professionals must complete North Tyneside’s young carer training. The training is split into two modules, ‘Introduction to young carers’ and ‘Delivering Young Carers’ Needs Assessments in North Tyneside’.

In North Tyneside, young carers can choose who they would like to complete their assessment. If the young person wants someone to attend who is not trained, they can come along as well to offer support, but they cannot complete the assessment.

Whilst social distancing measures are in place due to COVID 19, this training is online. Face to face training will resume when possible.