Identification
The first ever national young carers strategy has been launched by the Scottish Government in July 2010 called Getting It Right for Young Carers - The Young Carers Strategy for Scotland 2010 - 2015. One of the Government's headline actions is to "put in place measures to help professionals in education, health and social care to identify young carers" saying that there will be a strong emphasis on workforce training and a new classification of "young carers" in the 2011 school census which will report on the numbers of young carers who have been identified in schools.
Click here to download Getting it Right for Young Carers.
Connecting Young Carers currently has an Education Officer, Charlotte Sutton, who visits schools in Lochaber to talk to children and young people about caring for someone in the family, the impact that this can have and the support that can be available. This helps young carers to identify themselves. Although they may not wish to come forward they can be signposted to different ways of accessing information and support. It also increases awareness and empathy amongst peers which is important because young carers have told us that a friend is the most likely person that they will confide in.
Click here to download Talking about Young Carers in School