You have rights
Like adult carers, young carers have a number of rights.
These rights are there to help ensure you get the help you deserve.
A key right is the Young Carers’ Assessment, but you should also be getting support at your doctor’s and at school.
Young Carers Assessment
This is a session with someone from your local council (or supplied by them) to talk about your caring role. You talk about what you do, how you feel about it and what support needs you might have. You, or your parents can request a session, or another professional can request one on your behalf.
What happens at an Assessment?
The person doing the session will talk in detail about all that you do as a young carer and how it affects you. They will find out whether it’s appropriate for you to do all that you are doing, and whether or not you want to be a carer. They must also look at how this all affects your education, training, leisure and social life and your views on your future.
You will be given a written record of the assessment, and details of what support the council thinks you need.
And when you are aged 16-17, you have the right to an additional assessment to see what your needs will be as you leave school/college and think about work or uni. This is called a ‘Transition Assessment’.
Information, advice and support
You also have the right to get the information you need, and access to advice and support to help you – this will come from statutory services (the Council, NHS) as well as charities like us.
- Find out more about support from Surrey here
- Find out more about support from Action for Carer here
At your GPs
As a young carer you also can also get extra help your doctors. Surrey’s GPs should be trying to identify the young carers they have registered.
Please tell them that you are a young carer, you can tell reception staff, or your GP directly. They will then be aware of your role and potential extra needs, and can offer extra help such as flexible appointments, text reminders, and additional information that you might need.
At school
School’s have a duty to identify and support the young carers they have. They should working to raise awareness of caring among all pupils and encouraging young carers to make themselves known.
Once they know you are a young carer, they can help in lots of ways. This can include better understanding of when you are late or struggle with homework because of caring, access to school support like Young Carers Clubs, as well as the help of the school’s identified Young Carers Lead.
Action for Carers
If you have any questions at all about your rights, or support, we can help.
- If you are not already registered with us for support, you can do so yourself if you are 13 or older.
- If you are young than 13, please ask a family member, teacher or someone who supports your family (like a social worker, or health care professional) to register you.
Young Carers Registration Form
Or you can get in touch directly, just call us on 0303 040 1234, option 3, text 07723 486730 or email [email protected]