Young Carers
What is a young carer?
A Young Carer is defined in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 as “A young person under the age of 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person” who is suffering from a physical or mental illness, physical or learning disability or addiction.
The Children and Families Act 2014 and Care Act 2014 strengthen the rights of young carers and give greater protection of their welfare. Both Acts place a duty on local authorities to provide an assessment to establish the support needs of young carers, which considers the needs of the whole family. It is important to acknowledge young carers and let them know their rights, even if they choose not to have a formal Young Carers Assessment. Young Carers so often describe themselves as feeling invisible in their roles. Yet, carers need care too.
What do young carers do?
Having a parent, grandparent or sibling with a disability or illness can make a difference to the way the child or young person feels and talks about things. They may be taking on extra tasks like shopping, cooking, and cleaning. They might have to physically help the person being cared for, for example, to wash, get dressed or move about. They might also be offering emotional support for their well-being and mental health.
Help and support
Under the Children and Families Act 2014, local authorities are expected to take ‘reasonable steps to identify the extent to which there are young carers within their area who have needs for support’. If a child or young person is identified as having support needs, the local authority must carry out an assessment. This is known as a “young carer’s needs assessment”.
Young carer assessments
A young carer’s assessment is where the child or young person will sit down with a practitioner from the Achieving for Children (AfC) Family Hub Service Young Carers Team, the team that provides the young carers service in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM). The assessment is a guided conversation to understand what the young person’s day-to-day life is like. The conversation will cover:
- who the young person helps to look after and why they need support
- the types of tasks they do around the house
- how they feel about everything (proud, tired, stressed, or worried)
- how caring impacts their schoolwork, friendships, and free time
The young carer's assessment will inform the most suitable support. The type of help offered can include:
- One-to-one and family sessions
- Widening support networks
- Fun activities and respite
- Meeting other young carers
Requesting a young carer's assessment
Families and caregivers who would like to request a young carer's assessment can complete this self-referral form.
Professionals and practitioners who would like to request a young carer's assessment for the child or young person they are working with or supporting should complete the Single Point of Access (SPA) referral form. When completing the SPA referral form, select the Early Help referral pathway (if there is a safeguarding concern, complete the same SPA referral form but choose the safeguarding pathway).
More information
Designated Safeguarding Leads Presentation May 2020
Young carer rights: information from Carers Trust
Family Action Young Carers Impact Report 2025-26
More information about young carers and available support is on the AfCinfo website
Referrers can use this pre-screen tool when talking with families prior to making a referral.