Protocol for Blackpool Local Authority Adult and Family Services and
Children’s Services and Health
Joint Assessment and support for young carers and their families
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 This protocol outlines good practice for the staff of Blackpool Council services and their Partners that may come into contact with young carers and/or their families.
1.2 The Practice guidance to the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 (SCIE 2005) states that Local Authorities should have “a protocol, shared between adults and children’s services, for identifying and assessing young carers.”
1.3 The purpose of this protocol is to set out good practice with children and young people who are young carers, which is expected of all staff within Blackpool Council and all partner organisations who may come into contact with Young Carers and their families. It aims to make certain that all staff members in adult and children’s services across all agencies understand their respective roles and responsibilities in ensuring that Young Carers are offered appropriate support, and where relevant, an assessment of their needs. Achieving this will require partnership working throughout and between Blackpool Council, all schools in Blackpool, NHS Blackpool and other partners, including the Young Carer Service.
1.4 Young carers are children and young people under 18 who provide, or intend to provide, personal care, assistance or support to another family member on a regular basis. They carry out significant or substantial caring tasks and assume a level of responsibility which is inappropriate to their age. Caring tasks can involve physical or emotional care, or taking responsibility for someone’s safety or well being. The impact of taking on an inappropriate caring role can include underachievement or absenteeism at school, mental or physical ill health, and poverty.
1.5 Like all Carers, Young Carers need recognition and support. Their caring responsibilities may increase gradually, from a low level of “helping out around the house”, which is found in many families, to a higher degree which could potentially compromise the young person’s own welfare and life opportunities. Reasons for this may include family reluctance to approach statutory services, social isolation, cultural difference, lack of awareness of helping resources and more.
1.6 Children and Young People who are Young Carers have differing levels of responsibility, which range from contributing to the care of a disabled sibling within a large extended family setting, to being the primary care-giver to a lone parent. The emotional and practical impacts of being able to assist family members who are disabled or have a long-term illness are variable, complex and individual. It should be noted that many Young Carers are proud of their contribution to their family, and gain confidence in their own abilities through helping others.
1.7 The first aim of adults’ and children’s services should be to ensure that people with disabilities do not have to rely on the inappropriate caring role of a child. Until this is achieved, support should be given to young carers and their families to reduce the impact of the caring role on the child.
1.8 Both children’s and adults’ services can be the first to become aware that a young person is a young carer or is at risk of becoming a young carer. This protocol outlines the roles of children's and adults' services in ensuring the family is offered an appropriate assessment of their needs, and in working jointly to meet those needs. There should also be partnership working with relevant organisations in the voluntary sector.
1.9 While the welfare of the child is always paramount, all children benefit from having well-supported parents. In carrying out a referral or assessment staff should adopt a whole-family approach that supports adults who have care needs with their parenting role wherever possible.
2. DEFINITIONS
Young Carer - Blackpool Children’s Trust agreed, in March 2007, a local definition for young carers:
“Young carers are children and young people under the age of 18 years, who provide care to another family member, who has a physical illness or a disability; mental ill health; sensory disability or has a problematic use of drugs or alcohol. The level of care they provide would normally be undertaken by an adult, which, as a result of this, has an adverse impact on their childhood”
Parent - Within this document the term ‘parent’ refers to an adult who has a parental role towards a child or young person – this could include grandparents, step-parents, and other family members.
Disabled Parent - The phrase ‘disabled parent’ refers to a parent with a physical or mental impairment that has a long-term or substantial effect on a person’s ability to carry out day to day tasks
3. STATUTORY BASE (see also Appendix A)
1. Mental health Act 1983
2. Disabled Persons (Services and Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, S8
3. The Children Act 1989.
4. NHS and Community Care Act 1990, S47.
5. Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, S1
6. National Service Framework for Mental Health 1999
7. The Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families 2000
8. Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000.
9. Fair Access to Care practice guidance (DH 2002)
10. Fair Access to Care guidance on eligibility criteria for Adults’ Services (DH 2002)
11. The Children Act 2004
12. The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004
13. Practice guidance to the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 (SCIE 2005)
14. The Common Assessment Framework 2005.
15. Equalities Act (2010)
16. Working Together to Safeguard children 2006
17. Blackpool Local Safeguarding Board Procedures 2008
4. PRINCIPLES
This Protocol describes the following principles:
· There are no “wrong doors” and that young carers are identified, assessed and their families are supported in ways that prevent inappropriate caring and support parenting roles regardless of which service is contacted first.
· Risks to independence, safety and welfare are responded to in line with “Think Family” concepts and guidance on “Working Together to Safeguard Children”.
· Earlier, better integrated and more effective responses to young carers and their families are available using “whole family pathway” approaches.
· Children are protected from excessive or inappropriate caring roles; further inappropriate caring is prevented; parents feel supported in their parenting role; and, transition to adulthood is supported.
· No care or support package for a parent or sibling relies on excessive or inappropriate caring by a young carer to make it sustainable.
· Young carers are helped to achieve their potential; and, to have the same access to education, career choices and broader opportunities as their peers.
· There is better recognition of young carers and their families that promote greater choice and control and prevent further inappropriate caring.
· There is greater participation of young carers and their families in shaping what we do and in the development and delivery of responses.
5. PROCEDURES FOR ADULTS’ AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES
5.0 It is the statutory duty of Adults’ Services to support disabled adults in their parenting role. An adult may choose to use their Direct Payments to help them carry out their role as a parent. In assessing the needs of their clients, Adults’ Services workers should ask these questions and record the answers so that appropriate action can be taken and decisions made
· Do you have children?
· What are their ages?
· Is there a child in the family who may be helping to provide care?
· Do they need and have they been offered an assessment?
· How can we support you in your parenting role?
· What can be offered to help the whole family?
5.1 When assessing a person for Community Care support, the impact of that package on children in the person’s family should always be considered. It is not acceptable to offer a community care package that depends on a child carrying caring responsibilities that are inappropriate to their age, regardless of how competent they appear to be.
5.2 All workers should understand and follow Blackpool’s safeguarding and child protection procedures and agreed protocols for working with parents with disabilities or long term health problems.
5.3 If it is suspected that the child may be in need of Children’s Services or at risk of significant harm, The Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families should be used by Children’s Services under the Children Act 1989. If a young carer does appear to be a child in need or at risk, Adults’ Services workers should work in partnership with Children’s Services and the Young Carers Service to identify why this is so and whether additional support to the cared-for person could address the needs of the young carer.
5.4 A carer who is aged under 16 may request a carers assessment (and this request must be granted) whenever the person they care for is assessed or re-assessed for Community Care. Carers over 16 may request a carers assessment at any time. The child can be offered an assessment under the Common Assessment Framework by any suitably trained worker. Whenever a young carer is assessed, the Policy Guidance to the Carers Equal Opportunities Act 2004 states that their wish to work or undertake education, training or leisure will still apply, regardless of the legislation under which they were assessed. The child should also be referred to the Blackpool Young Carers Service.
5.5 Children’s Social Care, Education and Health Services should include in their assessment/ enrolment processes these questions:
· Does the child have disabled parents or other disabled family members?
· Could the child be a young carer?
· Is the family member for whom they are caring already receiving services from another department or agency?
· Has the person needing care been offered a Community Care Assessment or made aware of how to contact appropriate services?
· Is the child’s school involved or aware of what is happening and the family situation?
5.6 Any ‘young carer’ assessment should trigger an assessment or review being offered to the person who needs care.
5.7 During any assessment process, workers should:
· Consider the family as a whole, acknowledge parents' strengths and beware of undermining parenting capacity.
· Work with colleagues from children’s/adults services and with the voluntary sector where appropriate.
· Ensure that the assessment process is appropriate to the carer’s age, and specific to their needs as a young carer.
· Recognise that families may be fearful of acknowledging children’s caring roles
· Ascertain if the illness/disability is stable or changing.
· Maintain a focus on positive outcomes for the young person and their family when working with other departments/ agencies.
· Respond to young carers’ needs for emotional support and counselling.
· Consider the family’s housing needs and access to benefits.
· Be sensitive to cultural perceptions and needs around disability, illness and caring whilst recognising a child’s fundamental rights to a safe and secure childhood.
· Recognise there may be differences of view between children and parents about appropriate levels of care. Such differences may not be acknowledged. The resolution of such tensions will require good quality joint work between Adult and Children's Social Services as well as co-operation from schools and health care workers. This work should include direct work with the young carer to understand his/her views. The young person who is a primary carer of his or her parent or sibling may have a good understanding of the family's functioning and needs, which should be incorporated into the assessment.
5.8 There should be a senior member of staff in each Local Authority with responsibility for policy relating to young carers and their families. If departments/ agencies disagree as to who should fund support for a young carer or their family, they should refer to Blackpool’s Director of Children’s Services who along with the Director for Adults and Family Services will make a decision.
6 SAFEGUARDING
6.1 Adult and Children’s services accept a joint responsibility to work in partnership with others to identify and respond to any young carers who are suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm and to protect them from this harm.
6.2 Practitioners will ensure discharge of responsibilities in ways that: focus on working together, early intervention and prevention; reflect practice guidance; do not stigmatise families or risk increasing the number of hidden young carers; or discourage young carers and their families from seeking information and advice, or an assessment and provision of services.
6.3 This protocol states clearly the responsibilities of staff under local safeguarding children procedures to make referrals where children are considered to be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm and emphasise the principle that safeguarding is everyone’s business.
6.4 The Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) ensures that staff in all sectors have undertaken appropriate training in recognising, reporting concerns about a child’s welfare and safety.
6.5 The arrangements for young carers and their families reflect the requirements of local multi-agency and single agency policies for safeguarding children and are included in the LSCB’s procedures.
6.6 The LSCB provides a multi-agency safeguarding policy and procedures in relation to children. The Adult’s Safeguarding Board provides a multi-agency policy and procedures in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults. In working with families with young carers it may be necessary to refer to both sets of procedures.
7 Assessment
7.1 When a referral is made to Adult Social Care (ASC) about a parent with a disability, dependency or illness, the ASC practitioner needs to consider whether there is a child in the family who is providing personal care or practical help. In doing so, the practitioner will also be expected to consider within a whole family approach, the impact of the disability or illness upon each child within the family, including whether any of them are or could be providing some form of care or not. We would expect action to be taken to assess:
· what additional services may be needed to ensure care needs are met and to prevent a child taking on or continuing to hold inappropriate caring responsibilities
· whether the parent needs support in his or her parenting role or in developing parenting capacity