Professionals

Early Identification

Early identification of young carers is vital to ensure support is implemented at the earliest opportunity and to identify inappropriate caring levels. We know through our experience that young carers can often be ‘hidden’ as they find it difficult to recognise and/or accept their caring role/status, “just doing it because they are helping someone they love”. Often young carers are not identified until crisis point, when the implementation of support is more difficult. Recognising and supporting carers, before their needs escalate to a critical level, ensures young carers and their families are safe, well and able to engage and achieve their full potential.

Awareness Raising Training

It is vital that Young Carers receive the help they deserve in relation to their caring responsibilities. Therefore, it is our job as professionals, to educate ourselves about carers, learning how to identify and refer them for support. Ensuring carers are understood, acknowledged, assessed and receive relevant support in a timely manner, will reduce ‘breakdown’ potential and increase engagement with appropriate services; reducing isolation and promotion of positive physical and emotional wellbeing.

Our awareness raising training will help you to understand the roles and responsibilities of young carers, the impact of caring and also how to work with individuals, to sensitively address barriers to carers status. Our young carer training can be delivered in person or online via Zoom.

If you would like further information or to book an awareness raising training session for your organisation, please get in touch here.

Referrals

Our service operates an open door referral policy accepting referrals from the general public and all sectors. We understand from experience, that accepting help and recognising carer status is difficult and therefore work with individuals, to sensitively address barriers, allowing assessment requirements and support needs to be identified.

If you think someone you are working with may be a young carer, please do not hesitate to contact us or complete our referral form. We do ask that when submitting a referral to please detail on the document, as much information as possible, as this helps us to triage our assessments appropriately. Once we receive your referral we will respond with 48 hours to acknowledge receipt and will endeavour to complete the assessment with the young carers and/or family within 4 weeks. PLEASE REMEMBER: Caring can be in many forms and is not always just physical care. It can include; physical, emotional and practical care etc. Find out more about young carers.

Young Carer and Families Assessment

The Children and Families Act 2014 gives Young Carers the right to a carer’s assessment in order to have their needs met, should the assessment identify this is required. The Care Act and the Children and Families Act should work together to make sure the needs of the whole family are met, ensuring inappropriate or excessive caring by Young Carers, is prevented and/or reduced. South Tyneside Young Carers Service (TEN North East), is commissioned by our local authority South Tyneside Council, to conduct the Young Carer and Family Needs Assessment.

We recognise that the needs of young carers and families are individual to them, and therefore, their involvement in the development and implementation of their tailored support plan is pivotal to achieving positive outcomes. We adopt a whole family approach in all provision provided, including the assessment/conversation process, consulting with the whole family to identify key outcomes they wish to achieve. We also recognise current support networks available, alongside identifying the type, level, amount and impact of care. We maximise the potential for support, utilising resources from outside organisations to include positive pathway planning, future goals and raising aspirations, as well as monitoring and improving the overall health and wellbeing of the young carer and family. Throughout the assessment/conversation process the young carer and family’s voices are listened too and acted upon. A tailored plan of support is collaboratively developed and agreed between the case worker and family, with provision implemented to address the needs identified, thus promoting independence and longer term resilience.

Partnership Working

Operating a multi-agency approach to carers is crucial to ensuring positive outcomes are achieved and the impact caring responsibilities can have on a family are reduced. We already have established partnerships within the borough however are always looking to expand upon these to further enhance and maximise support available to young carers and their families. If you would like to find out more about becoming a trusted partner, please get in contact here.