Young carers referral

Section 96(12) of the Children and Families Act requires local authorities to take reasonable steps to identify the extent to which there are young carers within their area who have needs for support.

Who is a young carer?

A young carer is defined in the Children and Families Act 2014 as ‘a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (of any age, except where that care is provided for payment, under or by virtue of a contract, or as voluntary work).' (Children and Families Act 2014 Section 96). This includes provision of practical support, personal care and/or emotional support. This relates to care for any family member who is physically or mentally ill, frail elderly, disabled or misuses alcohol or substances.

The term ‘young carer’ does not apply to everyday and occasional help around the home that may often be expected of or given by children in families and is part of family and community cohesion. The care provided is over and above “helping out” at home.

A young carer becomes vulnerable when the level of care-giving and care responsibility to the person in need of care becomes excessive or inappropriate. The child or young person, is then at risk of this impacting on his or her emotional, physical well-being, educational achievement and life chances.

All Young Carers and their families are entitled to a Families First Assessment. A service that knows the family well are often best placed to lead on a Families First Assessment so any professional with Early Help Module (EHM) training can be the lead professional. The Families First team can be contacted for support and advice on EHM and FFAs.

FHertfordshire.Gov.UK: Families First Assessment and Early Help Module

Hertfordshire County Council awarded Carers in Hertfordshire the contract to support all young carers across Hertfordshire from 1st April 2019. With the families’ consent, Carers in Herts can complete an FFA to assess the needs of the whole family and work with other professionals to meet these needs where necessary.

If the family do not consent to a Families First Assessment, the child/young person can still be registered as a Young Carer.

To register a child as a Young Carer, complete a referral form from Young Carers - Carers In Herts. You can email the form, password protected, to young.carers@carersinherts.org.uk.

Or you can post it to:

Carers in Hertfordshire
The Red House
119 Fore Street
Hertford
SG14 1AX