If a young person is caring for a family member it can be hard for them to keep up with school work and to meet their own emotional, health and social needs.
We understand this and try to support young carers as much as possible with specialised help and advice.
Young people who regularly look after a family member sometimes do not think of themselves as carers. As a result they often don't realise that there is help and support available to them.
We define a carer as anyone who cares for, supports or supervises a relative because of disability, chronic illness, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse.
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We will try to help young carers by sharing some of their care commitments, helping them to have time off and to make plans for when they cannot provide their usual support.
Staff from two council departments (Adult Social Care and Children and Young Persons) work together to agree the best way to support a young carer.
We encourage young people to use Leicester's specialist young carers service CareFree which is provided by Barnardo's.
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An assessment may be needed to decide what type and level of support is needed.
A Community Care Assessment of the cared-for person will try to ensure that ‘sufficient services’ are supplied, so that the young carer’s role is not excessive in the light of their age and their own educational, health and social needs.
Young carers may be entitled to services in their own right, under the Children Act. Therefore it will often be appropriate for a young carer to be assessed under this Act.
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If you, or someone you know, is a young carer and needs some extra help and support, please contact us using the details below:
Adults and Housing Department, or Children and Young People's Service
1 Grey Friars
Leicester
LE1 5PH
0116 252 7004
0116 252 7011 (Minicom/TextBox)
customer.services@leicester.gov.uk
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