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National Carers Week
09/06/2008
As National Carers Week gets underway, Public Health Minister Shona Robison highlighted the Scottish Government's ongoing work to support young carers.
On a visit to a young carers' project in North Lanarkshire, Ms Robison welcomed the upcoming launch of a new toolkit to allow public bodies to better plan how they deliver services to young carers.
She also underlined the Scottish Government's support for the first-ever Scottish Young Carers Festival in September, which will bring together 500 young people from around Scotland in West Linton.
Ms Robison said:
"As a largely 'hidden' group, the exact number of young carers in Scotland is not known, but is probably more than 100,000.
"Young carers are children and young people first and foremost, but of course, they are also a lifeline for their parents and other adults, providing them with vital support. That responsibility can put a huge amount of strain on a young carer.
"It's for that reason that we have to ensure the relevant public services make the needs of young carers central to their plans.
"I therefore welcome the launch of the new self-evaluation toolkit next week, which has been developed by the Scottish Government and HMIE and which has been piloted in local authorities and young carers projects. It will serve as a useful guide for our public services and will encourage greater partnership working between them and other stakeholders.
"I am grateful to all those who took part in the pilot of this toolkit, including NCH North Lanarkshire Young Carers Project and North Lanarkshire Council.
She added:
"I'm sure many young carers are already looking forward to attending the Young Carers Festival in the Borders this September, where they'll be able to have some fun with other young carers and the opportunity to put their views across to people in positions of power - so that we can make sure we're giving young carers the right support."
Ms Robison was visiting The North Lanarkshire Young Carers Project in Motherwell, which is run by the charity NCH Scotland. It provides one-to-one and group support on to around 120 young carers and helps them share their problems.
Andrew Girvan, Director of Children Services for NCH Scotland, said:
"Young carers make an enormous contribution to looking after members of their family but their caring duties can rob them of the chance to take part in activities that other children take for granted. As a result, many young carers can feel isolated and alone.
"We welcome the Scottish Government's commitment to help support young carers in the difficult role they fulfil. Young carers tell us that they want more opportunity to get a break from their caring role and more support from schools and other agencies. We need to listen to what they are saying and design and provide services that meet their needs."
The Scottish Young Carers Festival, the first of its kind in Scotland, will take place on 13-14 September at the Broomlee Centre in West Linton. It will provide 500 young carers from across Scotland with a fun break and an opportunity to meet with young people in similar situations and give them a national platform at which to raise issues.