London,
17
July
2012
|
23:00
Europe/London

Event launches young carers report

The valuable contribution made by young carers has been recognised at a special celebratory event which also saw the launch of a report into the support available to young people who care for a parent, guardian or relative.

Members of the Council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission attended the annual Hackney Young Carers Summer BBQ organised by Hackney Young Carers Project, to launch their recent report and thank the young carers and parents who were involved in the review.

The event was held at Toffee Park Adventure Playground, and was a fun day for young carers and their families with plenty of food, games and craft activities for everyone to enjoy.  Cllr Ned Mulready, a member of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission who attended the event, said: “It is really important to recognise the vital role played by young carers in Hackney, and it’s great that fun events like this take place.” 

Councillors took up the cause following a suggestion from the Hackney Youth Parliament that the role of young carers was not sufficiently recognised across the public sector.

The scrutiny review found that many young carers in Hackney are currently ‘hidden’, with gaps in communication between different support services. Scrutiny Councillors felt more could be done to raise awareness of the issues they face and highlighted the importance of a ‘whole family approach’, and the need to provide support for young carers in places like schools and GP surgeries.

The Commission made a number of important recommendations to address  areas of concern, and to help young carers’ views be heard.

Cllr Gulay Icoz, former Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission, said: “We do not know how many young carers there are in Hackney so more needs to be done to identify them and provide the best support we can.  Our report addresses some of the main areas where young carers have told us that support can be improved, such as in schools and between relevant council services.”

For more information visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/scrutiny or telephone: 020 8356 3341.

Notes to editors

  1. A ‘young carer’ is a child or young person under 18 years of age whose lives are in some way restricted because of the need to take on inappropriate or excessive responsibilities for the care of a person who is ill, has a disability, is experiencing mental illness or is affected by substance misuse.

  1. Scrutiny Commissions are made up of Councillors from all political parties and co-optees from the community who investigate issues of local concern. Reviews are evidence-based and non-political. 

  1. The Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission considers issues relating to Children’s Services, Children and Young People’s Social Care, education and the Learning Trust.

  1. Cllr Gulay Icoz was Chair of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission until May 2012, and she was Chair during the Support for Young Carers review.  Cllr Anntoinette Bramble has been the Chair of this Commission since May 2012.

  1. Hackney Young Carers Project is run by the national charity Action for Children.  The Hackney Young Carers Summer BBQ was held on Saturday 23rd June at Toffee Park Adventure Playground, and was a fun day for young carers and their families with plenty of food, games and craft activities for everyone to enjoy.

  1. The full report of the Support for Young Carers review is available here - http://www.hackney.gov.uk/Support-for-Young-Carers-review.htm