Young Carers Assessment
A young carer is someone under 18 who helps look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol.
All young carers and young adult carers in England have the right to an assessment of the support they need from their local council.
In Allerdale and Copeland Carer Support West Cumbria carry out these Assessments on behalf of Cumbria County Council.
What is a Young Carer's Assessment?
‘Assessment’ really just means a chat with the young carer about them and their caring role.
An assessment for a young carer or a young adult carer isn’t like an exam or about how good they are at supporting the person you care for. The focus is on whether the local council is doing enough to support them so that they have the same chances as other people their age. The assessment is free.
Who is a Young Carer's Assessment for?
Young carers under 18 can get a young carer’s assessment, regardless of whether they do lots of caring or not very much caring.
There are three types of assessments for young carers and young adult carers, depending on how old they are.
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Young carer’s assessment for carers under 18.
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Transition assessment for young adult carers before they are 18.
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Carer’s assessment for all carers aged 18 or over.
You can find more information about the different assessments here.
What happens at the assessment and afterwards?
At the assessment our support worker will ask some questions to help build a picture of the young carers life and how their caring role fits into this.
The answers will help the support worker identify what kind of support would best help the young carer. They will then work with them to develop an individual support plan.
After the assessment some – or all – of the following services may be offered:
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Inclusion on mailing list to receive newsletter
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Information and sign posting to further sources of support
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Support groups
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Outings
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Residential trips
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Training and specific projects
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1:1 support
We work in partnership with other organisations to support young people in an integrated way, and work with the whole family for short periods when this is of direct benefit to the young person.
What is a transition assessment and who is it for?
A transition assessment is separate to a young carer’s assessment. It is about how the different services for children and for adults affect a young carer when they become 18.
For under 18’s support from Cumbria County Council comes from children’s services. After turning 18 this support will come from the adult services department. Transition is the time when the young carers and adult services decide together that should happen after they are 18.
There are some extra things that are discussed at a transition assessment. These are:
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Whether the young carer wants to:
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continue providing care as a young adult carer
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stop being a young adult carer
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change their caring role.
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What support from the council would be helpful for the carer to achieve their goals after turning 18.
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Whether the carers will be able to receive services to help them achieve their goals.
What happens after the transition assessment?
We may be able to work with other people, for example staff at the college or university, so that they understand what they can do to help the carer.
They will be able to give information and advice about how to help the carer stay well, and also what other services in the area may be helpful e.g. young adult carer groups.
What now?
You can refer a Young Carer to us for an assessment by completing the form here or for an informal chat to find out more, please contact us.
You can find out more about our services and support for young carers by clicking here.
You can find more detailed information about Young Carers Assessments on the Carers UK and Carers Trust websites.