Contribution of young carers vital - McGimpsey

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, said the value and support provided by young carers in their contribution to health and social care cannot be overstated.

The Minister was speaking following the launch of the Northern Ireland Regional Young Carers Service at Stormont. Funded by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), the service is jointly delivered by Action for Children NI, in partnership with Newry and Mourne Carers’ Association, and Barnardo’s NI.

Welcoming the formal launch of the service, Michael McGimpsey said: “Young carers themselves view their caring role as positive as well as demanding and difficult. The value and support provided by them in their contribution to health and social care cannot be overstated. That is why I decided to commit £0.5million per year to this service.

“The regional service, which is now in place, is an excellent example of how agencies can work in partnership with children and young people to design services to meet their needs. Young carers are, after all, the experts when it comes to knowing what it is like to care for others. No-one knows more about this than them.”

The services being offered both with and for young carers include outings and activities; small group work; links with education and promoting rights.

The Minister continued: “Young carers are first and foremost children and we need to ensure their needs are met, that their development and education should not suffer and that they are able to enjoy their childhood. I am very grateful to all of those who have played their part in getting this service in place.

“Young carers typically do not want to go through social services to get the help they need. What is now in place is a model which ensures that young carers can have their needs assessed through the project and that this assessment is appropriately overseen by Trust services for children and young people.

“I hope that the formal launch of the service, accompanied by a dedicated website, will encourage more young carers to come forward to get the help they need. Whilst I would like to be able to dedicate more resources into services such as this, it does show how a relatively small amount of targeted funding can make a huge difference to the lives of children and young people.”

Details of the new service can be found on the new website http://www.youngcarersni.com. The launch was attended by representatives from education, social services, employment services, voluntary and community groups, by a number of young carers and their parents from across Northern Ireland and was hosted by Dawn Purvis MLA.

Notes to editors:

1. Young carers are children and young people under 18 whose lives are restricted by the need to care for a person who has an illness, a disability or issues with their mental health or with drugs or alcohol.

2. The services being offered both with and for Young Carers include:

• Outings and Activities – caring for others has often meant that young carers lost out on part of their own childhood. These activities not only provide an opportunity, through fun and play, to be a child again but also to enhance Young Carers’ personal development.
• Small Group Work -A number of parents have mental health; addiction and other problems. Young Carers often need information about and help in coping with these issues, for example, Young Carers have found it really helpful to understand how a bipolar disorder changes their parent’s behaviour. This understanding has enhanced both their resilience and ability to manage.
• Links with Education – Young Carers may need support with homework; punctuality or attendance issues. This includes giving teachers, EWOs and other educational professionals more insight into the particular circumstances and needs of pupils
• Promoting Rights - For many years the public have been unaware of the needs of young carers. Today Young Carers are encouraged to speak out about their needs. The fact that Young Carers were invited by the OFMDFM Health Committee to present to the Committee greatly enhanced their self-worth and made them feel that they were more fully participating in the life of the community.
• Forums for young carers - Action for Children NI and Barnardo’s NI have been instrumental in the establishment of a Young Carers’ Forum in each HSC Trust area and a Regional Forum has also been established.
• Transition Planning - Today’s Young Carers are the Young Adult Carers of tomorrow. By empowering young people they are better placed to continue caring for others and more able to access the services they will continue to need. Links have been established with HSC Trust Care Coordinators to ensure continuity of support over time.
• Regional Young Carer’s Website - Young Carers have developed a new regional website that will be previewed at the launch. It will be a vehicle for support; information etc. that, critically, will be shaped by Young Carer’s themselves.

3. Barnardo’s manage the service in the Northern and Western Health & Social Care Trust areas and Action for Children manage the service in the Southern, Belfast and South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust areas.

4. In January 2006 the Department launched the carers strategy, ‘Caring for Carers’. The strategy is inter-departmental and inter-agency, dealing with health and social care, employment, training, education, information and support services for all carers, and includes a specific section on the needs of young carers.

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