Young Carers Service- Sefton Council

A young carer is a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (of any age, except generally where care is provided for payment, pursuant to a contract or as voluntary work). Children should not undertake inappropriate or excessive caring roles that may have an impact on their development. A young carer becomes vulnerable when their caring role risks impacting upon their emotional or physical wellbeing and their prospects in education and life.’

Care and Support Statutory Guidance - Care Act DH 2014 Paragraph 2.49. A young carer is identified as a child or young person under the age of 18 years, who provide care to another family, who has a physical illness/disability, mental health, sensory disability or has a problematic use of drugs or alcohol. The age of the young carer often has little or no bearing on the kinds of tasks performed. Children as young as 5-10 years of age, or maybe younger are providing emotional support, domestic help, general care and child-care for other siblings as well as looking after themselves.

The only age/task distinction is perhaps, in terms of very intimate personal care, with children aged 12 upwards being more likely to carry out the most personal aspects of caring although some aspects of this can start at a much earlier age.

The nature of tasks undertaken by Young Carers are wide and varied, examples of which are highlighted below. These are not an exhaustive list but include:

• Domestic Tasks
• Household Management
• Caring for a parent with mental health, drug and/or alcohol misuse or a physical disability.
• Emotional Care
• Sibling Care
• Financial/Practical Care.

The Children and Families Act 2014 amended the Children Act to make it easier for young carers to get an assessment of their needs and to introduce ‘whole family’ approaches to assessment and support. This legislation is aligned with similar provision in the Care Act 2014 requiring local authorities to consider the needs of young carers if, during the assessment of an adult with care needs, or of an adult carer, it appears that a child is providing, or intends to provide, care. In these circumstances the authority must consider whether the care being provided by the child is excessive or inappropriate; and how the child’s caring responsibilities affects their wellbeing, education and development.