Who is a young carer?
A young carer is someone under 18 years old who provides (or intends to provide) care for another person, unless they are doing so as paid employment or as voluntary work. This can be caring for a family member or friend of the family. They may be physically or mentally ill, frail or elderly, disabled, or misuse alcohol or drugs.
Who provides support for young carers in Devon?
Devon County Council commissions Devon Young Carers to provide specialist support for young carers who are providing high levels of care, or care that is not age-appropriate. They also have a range of resources and can offer specialist advice and signposting to all professionals who have young carers among the children and young people that they work with.
A young carer, or their family, can ask Devon Young Carers for help directly. They can also use resources on their website such as the Young Carers Passport, to help them advocate for the young carer, for example, with school, college, GPs or community and youth work settings. Where consent has been given another professional or practitioner can make a referral to the service on behalf of a young person and their family.
Devon Young Carers will then undertake an assessment of the young carer’s needs and the support available to meet their needs.
The support offered aims to help young carers to have the same life opportunities as their peers, feel supported at school or college, have good physical and emotional health, access and achieve their potential in education and training, have their voices heard and be prepared for adulthood and independence.
You can contact the Devon Young Carers service via their website, by telephone on 03456 434 435, or by email at youngcarers@devoncarers.org.uk.
How is support provided?
The Devon Young Carers Service is a small team that covers all of Devon (apart from Plymouth and Torbay, which have their own young carers services). They are split into four localities: North Devon, Mid and East Devon, Exeter and South Devon. Each locality has a part-time lead practitioner, a part-time support worker, and one lead covering the county.
Registering a young carer
If you would like your child or a child you work with to be registered as a young carer with Devon Young Carers and show on the Young Carers Register, please complete the young carers registration form.
They will be registered at Getting Advice and can access the following from Devon Young Carers:
- Information, Advice, and Signposting for their
- Young Carers ID card
- Young Carers transition assessment before they turn 18
- Young Carers register shared with education settings
- Young Carers Movement Group –
- Access to Holiday and Food Programme (HAF) as a young carer (please read the extended criteria terms)
Specialist support
If the level of care the young carer provides is high, and impacting on their life, a referral can be made to explore the options of support to reduce the level of care the young carer is providing.
- Young carer’s needs assessment.
- Specialist support for young carers.
- Whole family approach.
- Advocacy.
- Safety planning.
- School support.
- Working alongside professionals working with the family.
- Social opportunities.
- Transition to adulthood assessment.
Our direct support will support young carers:
- who are proving excessive or inappropriate care
- who are the sole carer
- who care for the terminally ill
- where there are safeguarding concerns
- aged six or below with a highly impactful caring role
- who self-identify as providing a high level of care
Young Carer’s Passport
The purpose of the Young Carers Passport is so the young carer does not have to repeat their story, and the right people in their life are aware they are a young carer, how this affects them, and the ways they want to be supported.
Find out more about the Young Carer’s Passport.
More information about young carers
- https://carers.org/article/getting-support-if-you-are-young-carer-or-young-adult-carer
- https://carers.org/about-us/about-young-carers