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.
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
There is also a young person’s guide to the Children and Families Act here
Training for professionals
If you are a professional who is working with children, you are in a position to identify young carers. To be able to offer Young Carers’ Needs Assessments, you will need to 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’. This training is available on North Tyneside’s learning pool. If you do not have access to a learning pool account and you wish to complete this training, you can contact Anne Longstaff, Young Carers’ Link Worker on 0191 643 2298/ 07880404607 or anne.longstaff@ntcarers.co.uk
If you work in a school, there may be an allocated member of staff who completes Young Carers’ Needs Assessments. Please talk to your Senior Leadership team about where this responsibility lies.
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.
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