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Working With Young Carers
Below is a quick check on the standards suggested by Carers UK for all unpaid carers – and suggestions as to how they can be applied in particular to those under 18… We will continue to work to develop the knowledge and flexibility in all services, but the best pressure and action will come from within …..
Recognition – the need to acknowledge that young carers have needs of their own - and taking responsibility for recognizing the effects of caring on young people in your work setting.
Acknowledging that young carers may play a vital role in the support of the person they care for – and not colluding in that staying a hidden role.
Work with, and assessments of, adults identify the presence of young carers, and recognizes their role and their needs.
Choice - that caring should be a choice not an obligation, either emotional or practical – ensuring that families know what support is available, and that over reliance on unpaid care may be a gateway to assessed support.
Providing young carers with a safe environment to discuss their role and feelings, and encourage informed choices.
Equity - work to ensure that mainstream activities and services do not exclude young carers, by accident or design
Understanding of the young carer’s and families culture and the expectations which that may engender.
Consultation - including young carers in consultation about services where unpaid/family carers views are sought.
Take all opportunities to sensitively involve young carers in the design and delivery of services aimed to support them, both as young carers and as young people.
Information - ensure there is someone to signpost young carers to specialist support.
Help young carers access information about the needs of the people they care for, and consider how they are involved and informed when decisions are made about the support to the people they care for.
Practical help - consider how all services can ensure access for young carers, meet practical needs, and reflect how adult carers may be supported.
Consider times, access to phones to check on people cared for, privacy to discuss issues arising from the pressures of caring.
Where and when appropriate, encourage people to seek specialist advice and support .
Financial support – be aware of the financial demands of the caring role on individuals and on families. Include signposting for specialist welfare rights advice.
Where a suitable package of care is not in place, seek to refer to alleviate pressures on the informal carer.
Educational and social disadvantage may engender future financial disadvantage…
Co-ordination - ensuring knowledge of services is shared between them, and with young carers, and as appropriate, that young carers are identified within them.
Training - include awareness of the issues and challenges facing young carers are inherent in training for staff working with young people.
Valuing carers - if you have achieved all the above, then young carers should feel valued as young people and as carers, their voice will be heard and acted upon, their needs included in services provided to the people they care for and for themselves.
The nature of the caring role will vary depending on circumstances and the level of care provision needed. In simple terms, there are three types of young carers – whose needs may not fit neatly into any one category!
Primary carers:
Where the young person is the main carer for someone who, because of disability, illness or age, cannot manage without the support they provide. This may have particular pressures, not only in terms of practical demands, but because of the fear of what may happen if that role is seen as inappropriate. The expectation is that many primary carers remain ‘hidden carers’ – particularly where there is a fear that one or both people may end up ‘in care’ if the situation is known to statutory services. So where the need may be greatest, it may also be the most difficult to identify and to deliver.
Secondary carers:
Where the young person is not the sole unpaid carer, but still takes on extra responsibilities, either in terms of direct care or in terms of taking on roles that not filled by others because of their caring role. Secondary carers may also often have a primary role at times, if not throughout the day or week.
Sibling carers:
Although this is not necessarily about a brother or sister, there are implications for all of a family where one or more members have additional care needs. Whilst the young person may not take on regular additional tasks, there are still issues of priorities within families, of fear or ignorance of conditions and prognoses, and of ignorance and bullying.
Although some of the effects of caring may have additional emphasis for some services and professionals, anyone working with young people – or adults who need care – is likely to be working with young carers and have a responsibility to recognize them and their needs, and to respond appropriately….
In very general terms, the below may help as a prompt…
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Effect of caring
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Possible service response
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Problems at school – such as standard or presence of homework, lateness, absence, attainment, bullying
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Awareness throughout educational professionals – role of pastoral leads, class teachers, educational welfare, behavioural support, Connexions. practical support with access to time and equipment, and flexibilty
provision of alternative, and flexible support to the cared for person
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Isolation – from children their own age
Lack of time and opportunity for play, sport, leisure activities
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Access to play and leisure activities – services considering practical or financial barriers.
Peer group support and provision of ‘respite’ from the caring role
Provision of alternative support to the cared for person
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Lack of recognition, respect for caring contribution, feeling that people may be there to support others but not them
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Opinion valued appropriately, with inclusion and information during assessment and service delivery to cared for person
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Conflict between young carer’s needs and those of whom they care for – guilt and resentment
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Acknowledgement and assessment of young carer’s needs – availability of counseling, befriending, youth work
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Feeling different from others, and isolated by experiences and expectations
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Peer support groups, facilitated access to mainstream activities, counseling, befriending, youth work.
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