17 May 2010

Contribution of young carers vital - McGimpsey

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, said the value and support provided by young carers in their contribution to health and social care cannot be overstated.

The Minister was speaking following the launch of the Northern Ireland Regional Young Carers Service at Stormont. Funded by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) and commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), the service is jointly delivered by Action for Children NI, in partnership with Newry and Mourne Carers’ Association, and Barnardo’s NI.

Welcoming the formal launch of the service, Michael McGimpsey said: “Young carers themselves view their caring role as positive as well as demanding and difficult. The value and support provided by them in their contribution to health and social care cannot be overstated. That is why I decided to commit £0.5million per year to this service.

“The regional service, which is now in place, is an excellent example of how agencies can work in partnership with children and young people to design services to meet their needs. Young carers are, after all, the experts when it comes to knowing what it is like to care for others. No-one knows more about this than them.”

The services being offered both with and for young carers include outings and activities; small group work; links with education and promoting rights.

The Minister continued: “Young carers are first and foremost children and we need to ensure their needs are met, that their development and education should not suffer and that they are able to enjoy their childhood. I am very grateful to all of those who have played their part in getting this service in place.

“Young carers typically do not want to go through social services to get the help they need. What is now in place is a model which ensures that young carers can have their needs assessed through the project and that this assessment is appropriately overseen by Trust services for children and young people.

“I hope that the formal launch of the service, accompanied by a dedicated website, will encourage more young carers to come forward to get the help they need. Whilst I would like to be able to dedicate more resources into services such as this, it does show how a relatively small amount of targeted funding can make a huge difference to the lives of children and young people.”

Details of the new service can be found on the new website http://www.youngcarersni.com. The launch was attended by representatives from education, social services, employment services, voluntary and community groups, by a number of young carers and their parents from across Northern Ireland and was hosted by Dawn Purvis MLA.

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