Young Carers

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This chapter highlights the issues of children and young people who support members of their family, and seeks to define who and what this means.

LOCAL GUIDANCE

London Safeguarding Children Procedures, Young Carers

AMENDMENT

This chapter was refreshed in January 2024.

1. Definition

The Regulations that currently relate to young carers are contained within the Young Carers (Needs Assessments) Regulations 2015 and came into force on 1st April 2015.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014 the definition of young carer is a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care and support for another person. The concept of care and support includes practical or emotional support.

This definition allows more children than under previous legislation to qualify as young carers and be entitled to a needs assessment.

This definition still excludes children providing care and support as part of contracted work or as voluntary work. However, the local authority can ignore this and carry out a Young Carer's Need Assessment if they think it would be appropriate.

2. Recognition

The Local Authority is expected to take 'reasonable steps' to identify which children in their area are young carers, and if they have the need for support. The Local Authority must carry out an assessment if it appears that the young carer has the need for support, or upon request. This assessment is called a Young Carer's Needs Assessment. In Newham, this assessment must be carried out in a holistic, whole-family approach, and must be considered as part of any statutory assessment of a young carer or their family e.g. a Single Assessment or an Adult's Social Care assessment of the person cared for. Where a young carer or the person cared for does not meet thresholds for a statutory assessment, a stand-alone Young Carer's Needs Assessment will be conducted using either the Early Help Record (EHR) or the Newham Young Carers Assessment Tool (YCAT). The EHR should be used to assess young carers not in transition or who are likely to be low need, the YCAT should be used to assess young carers in transition (16+) or who are likely to be high need and require a more in-depth assessment. Stand-alone young carer assessments will be conducted by the Local Authority's commissioned provider and can be accessed via referral from Triage.

3. Response

The local authority must carry out a Young Carer's Needs Assessment in a manner which is appropriate and proportionate to the needs and circumstances of the young carer to whom it relates.

Whoever carries out the assessment must be:

  1. Be appropriately trained;
  2. Have sufficient knowledge and skill to be able to carry out the assessment; and
  3. An appropriate person to carry out the assessment having regard to the young carer's circumstances, in particular the young carer's age, sex and understanding.

In carrying out the assessment, the local authority must, in particular, have regard to:

  1. The young carer's age, understanding and family circumstances;
  2. The wishes, feelings and preferences of the young carer;
  3. Any differences of opinion between the young carer, the young carer's parents and the person cared for, with respect to the care and support which the young carer provides (or intends to provide); and
  4. The outcomes the young carer seeks from the assessment.

In order to ensure full and meaningful participation in the assessment process, the following people must be provided with information about the manner and form of the assessment prior to the start of the assessment, and in a format which is accessible to the young carer:

  1. The young carer;
  2. The person cared for;
  3. The young carer's parents; and
  4. Any other person whom the young carer or a parent of the young carer requests should participate in the assessment.

Where the child requiring a young carer's assessment is under the age of 16 and is not competent to consent, a person with parental responsibility will need to be involved in their assessment wherever possible. If there is no person with parental responsibility available, consideration should be given to whether there is another person who could facilitate the young carer's involvement in the assessment. If not, an independent advocate must be provided.

Overall, the Young Carer's Needs Assessment must consider the impact of the needs of the young carer's family on the well-being of the young carer and any child in that family and, in particular, on their education and personal and emotional development.

Specifically it must determine the following:

  1. The amount, nature and type of care and support which the young carer provides (or intends to provide);
  2. The extent to which this care and support is (or will be) relied upon by the family, including the wider family, to maintain the well-being of the person cared for;
  3. Whether the care and support which the young carer provides (or intends to provide) impacts on the young carer's well-being, education and development;
  4. Whether any of the tasks which the young carer is performing (or intends to perform) when providing care and support are excessive or inappropriate for the young carer to perform having regard to all the circumstances, and in particular the carer's age, gender and the young carer's wishes and feelings;
  5. Whether any of the young carer's needs for support could be prevented by providing services to:
    1. The person cared for, or
    2. Another member of the young carer's family;
  6. What the young carer's needs for support would be likely to be if the carer were relieved of part or all of the tasks the young carer performs (or intends to perform) when providing care;
  7. Whether any other assessment of the needs for support of the young carer or the person cared for has been carried out (and if it has, to take this into account);
  8. Whether the young carer is a child in need;
  9. Any actions to be taken as a result of the assessment; and
  10. The arrangements for a future review.

The assessment must identify the young carer's friends and family, and consider how those persons can contribute to meeting the outcomes which the young carer seeks from the assessment.

The local authority must consult with persons with expertise and knowledge in relation to the young carer as part of the assessment process.

The regulations allow for a young carer's needs assessment to be combined with any other assessment of the needs for support of the young carer, the person cared for, or a member of the young carer's family. They also allow account to be taken of any other assessment which has been carried out in relation to the needs for support of the young carer or the person who is cared for and which the authority consider to be relevant.

The young carer and their parents must be given a written record of the assessment. A written record should also be sent to anyone else at the request of the young carer or their parent, for example a young carer service.

An assessment can be refused if:

  • The young carer does not appear to have needs for support;
  • The local authority has already carried out an assessment of the young carer's need for support connected with their care and support for a particular person and circumstances have not changed.

Where a Young Carer appears to be at risk of Significant Harm, then the appropriate safeguarding procedures must be followed immediately.

4. Moving Areas

If the person with care and support needs moves, there are provisions in the Care Act to make sure that there are no gaps in care and support when the move happens. The person with care and support needs should inform the second local authority of their intention to move and of their wish to be assessed along with their carer.

If the second local authority does not make a decision about care and support before the move takes place, they must meet the needs that the first local authority had previously identified until they have made their own decision. If they then make a different decision about eligible needs to the first local authority, they must explain why. The first local authority is responsible for making any arrangements needed on the day of the move itself.

5. Further Information

Legislation, Statutory and Government Non-Statutory, Guidance

Care Act section 63

The Young Carers (Needs Assessment) Regulations (DOE, March 2015)

Good Practice Guidance

The Lives of Young Carers in England - Research Brief (DfE, 2016)

The Lives of Young Carers in England - Research Report Survey with Young Carers (DfE, 2017)

No Wrong Doors Working Together to Support Young Carers and their Families - Young Carers' Needs Assessment Supporting Information (ADCS, 2015)

Useful Websites

Assessments in England 2023-24

Carers UK - resources and information on young carers

Barnardo Support for Young Carers