To review the Young Carers Support Service (YCSS) for Herefordshire against the specification for the service following its implementation in April 2018.

The committee received a report from the director for children and families relating to the young carers support service (YCSS). The early help manager introduced the report and advised the committee of the statutory duty of the council to young carers and the specification for the service which had emerged through the Joint Carers Strategy 2017-2021. The four objectives of the YCSS were outlined, in particular the promotional work that was ongoing around the service including digital material and presentations at schools and the GP forum. The service operated by undertaking an early help assessment of the family of a young carer from which a package of support could be compiled. Young carers were encouraged to complete evaluations of their experiences at the end of the intervention. 

The committee made the points below in the discussion that followed:

·         It was estimated that there were between 400 -700 carers in Herefordshire and the number the service had been in contact with was 83. The proportion of carers that the service supported was felt to be low but it was acknowledged that some young carers did not require or want support. There was concern if families did not want a young carer, who required support, to have contact with the service and it was queried how this could be overcome. The EHM explained that it was not an easy barrier to overcome but promotional materials such as the youtube video that had been developed was important in demonstrating the support that the service could provide. The priority for the service was to ensure that those with need were getting the help that they required. Presentations to the GPs Forum had been provided to ensure young carers and their families could be signposted to the service and notions that the service sought to take children into care could be dispelled.

·         It was queried whether children that have been supported had been consulted on how to engage other young carers. For older children a closed group on a social media platform was proposed and it was suggested that the social media details should be included on the services promotional posters. Details of where the poster had been distributed were sought. The EHM confirmed that a question regarding effective engagement with young carers could be added to the evaluation that was completed following intervention. The early help family support team manager (EHFSTM) explained that a number of children that the service works with do not initially identify as young carers and work that was undertaken in primary schools was effective in raising awareness. The poster was distributed to all schools and GP surgeries and adding social media details to the poster would be looked into.    

·         The committee queried the definition of a young carer. It was clarified that young carers were not only carers for parents but could also care for siblings. The EHFSTM explained that a question, about jobs in the home, posed of children to determine if they were a young carer was:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37