Connecting Young Carers © Frances Nixseaman Strategy Development Officer Connecting Young Carers

Connecting Young Carers ©

Frances Nixseaman

Strategy Development Officer

Connecting Young Carers


Supporting young carers wherever they live in Highland


Challenges• Estimated 4,700 young carers

• Large area

• Unequal access to transport

• Hidden young carers


Frameworks for an integrated approach

• Getting It Right for Every Child • Young Carers Strategy

“For Highlands Young Carers 2”

• Integrated Childrens Services Plan “For Highlands Children 3”

• Carer Information Strategy


Aims of For Highlands Young Carers 2

• Enhance universal support to enable early intervention and an integrated service for families

• Reduce the number of inappropriate caring roles taken on by young carers

• Facilitate development of specialist provision to support those young carers who would benefit from this type of support


ActionsInformation

Training

Identification

Assessment

Respite

FamilySupport

1 – 1Support

Peer Support


Building capacity through partnerships - Information

• Information on young carers being made available in GP surgeries and other public locations

• Young carers to be given specialist information


Inform young carers

I look after my Mum cos she’s got back problems, she’s not that energetic around the house that much so I mainly do like the chores and whatever else and her drinking and that just makes her less able to move about, she’s just always in her room mainly. A couple of years ago when my Mum went into hospital cos her liver was failing and there was a couple of times in the hospital I wasn’t allowed going, neither was my brother or that, only my Gran. I think it was cos one day she nearly died she had a heart attack I think it was as well or something like that which didn’t help it and my Gran was just a bit shaken up about it.


Building capacity through partnerships - Training

• Revision of joint NHS/Council Training Plan

• Promote training on young carer issues to all agencies



Building capacity through partnerships - Identification

• Revise hospital admission and discharge procedure to include explicit reference to young carers

• Health professionals identifying and flagging up young carers

• GIRFEC Concern form sharing information

Connecting Young Carers ©18.11.09

Identify hidden young carers

I don’t blame my mums drinking for getting into trouble. I started drinking over my mums drinking – because I don’t know I swore I would never touch drink – but then - I usually drink about every 3 or 4 weeks but when I do drink I take it bad – cos I drink quite lot and it puts me, it puts me on the ground. I just drink and drink until I can’t like move. I’m never drinking like my mum tho ‘cos she’s got an illness there’s a difference. I don’t have that illness with drinking. She’s got it. She’s got used to it. I’m not. I drink when I want to. Like I could drink right now if I want but I don’t want to.

Connecting Young Carers ©18.11.09 Connecting Young Carers ©

Connecting Young Carers ©18.11.09 Connecting Young Carers ©

Connecting Young Carers ©Connecting Young Carers ©



Building capacity through partnerships - Assessment

• Insertion of trigger questions in adult health assessment tools

• Using GIRFEC’s “My World Triangle”


Assess need

Because he’s an alcoholic and people might say something to him about him and I just don’t want that to happen. Tried to help my Dad to stop drinking and just tried to no feel upset and try to keep my anger in if I was going to shout at him or that. I just try to help him more because I love him and want to help him out because if I don’t no-one else will. Cos he’s an alcoholic and some people think that he’s no going to be capable to look after me but they are not technically right just cos he’s an alcoholic does not mean that he can’t look after me.


30 seconds drama clip

Some young carers talking about the positives.

Documents

Connecting Young Carers © Frances Nixseaman Strategy Development Officer Connecting Young Carers