Social care
Young carers may be known to social care through early help, safeguarding, child and family assessment, or adult services supporting a parent. Wherever they are first seen, it is vital that young carers are recognised and understood so they can receive the right support at the right time.
At Gloucestershire Young Carers (GYC), we help social care professionals across adults’, children’s and family services to identify young carers early and respond in ways that strengthen the whole family.
Why Identification Matters
Young carers often take on responsibilities that are hidden, complex or normalised within families. Without recognition, these roles can affect:
- Emotional wellbeing and mental health
- School attendance, attainment and – engagement
- Peer relationships, social inclusion and confidence
- Long-term trust in services
Young carers tell us they often hide their worries, feel responsible for a parent’s safety or emotional state, and worry about the consequences of speaking up. These experiences shape how they engage with social care professionals.
How We Support Social Care Professionals
We offer:
- Young carer identification advice
- Informal discussions prior to referral
- Training for social care teams
- Co-produced resources and tools
- Young-carer-led insight through the Mosquito Mission’s youth led training
We also provide a range of information resources including Parents, Pints & Pills, Orson, and mental-health-focused materials to support communication with children.
What Helps — Core Principles for Social Care
Effective assessments consider interconnected needs, protective and risk factors, family strengths and the parent–child relationship.
Children cope better when they understand what is happening at home and know:
- “It’s not your fault.”
- “It’s okay to talk about mental illness / substance use.”
Clear, simple reassurance reduces fear and confusion.
Young carers may feel loyalty to parents, fear judgment, or worry about family separation. Sensitive, non-judgmental practice builds trust and supports meaningful disclosure.
Good plans:
- Help families make sense of a parent’s needs
- Support safe, age-appropriate conversations
- Promote school engagement and attendance
- Connect children with peers in similar situations
Children’s Social Care
Children’s Social Care teams are often the first to recognise when a young person’s caring role is impacting their safety, emotional wellbeing or development.
Key things to look out for
How you can help
- Ask early, gently and routinely about caring roles
- Help families have open, age-appropriate conversations
- Refer to GYC for support, connection and resources
- Ensure the child’s voice is central in assessments
Early Help & Family Support
Early Help practitioners are crucial for early identification
Young carers supported through Early Help often:
- Hide their concerns to avoid adding pressure
- Try to keep the household functioning
- Experience isolation and limited peer contact
- Struggle with routines and homework due to caring
How Early Help can make a difference
- Explore caring roles sensitively within whole-family conversations
- Use our resources to aid discussions
- Encourage contact with Young Carer School Leads
- Include the young carer’s needs explicitly in plans
Adult Social Care, Mental Health & Disability Services
Adult services play a vital role in identifying young carers.
What young carers in these families often say, they may:
- Hide their worries to protect their parent
- Feel responsible for preventing relapse or crisis
- Avoid seeking help for fear of consequences
What helps most
- Professionals who understand the family context without judgment
- Clear explanations of the parent’s condition at a child-friendly level
- Linking parents to the right services (with consent) Including, but not burdening, the child
Thinking About a Referral?
If you’re unsure whether a child or young person is eligible, we welcome informal conversations.
Call us on 01452 733060 to speak with a member of our team.
Referral guidance can be found on our How to Refer page.
HELPFUL RESOURCES
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Gloucestershire Young Carers is dedicated to supporting young carers and with your help we can reach more children and young people across the county.
