Young carers must not miss out on support they are legally entitled to, Scottish human rights leader tells Highland conference organised by Dingwall-based charity
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Young carers in the Highlands may be missing out on support to which they are entitled, according to a senior executive of a Scottish human rights organisation.
Nick Hobbs, the head of advice and investigations for the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, voiced his concerns while attending a conference in Inverness highlighting the role of unpaid carers and their needs.
He urged Highland Council to be mindful of its legal duties towards young carers.
The event, at the Inverness Ice Centre, was organised by Dingwall-based charity, Connecting Carers, and was the first-ever service-wide conference for professionals who deal with unpaid carers.
It was also attended by Ross-shire MSP Maree Todd, the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport.
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Mr Hobbs, who met young carers, said the Carers Act placed a duty on health boards and local authorities to offer young carers a Young Carer Statement and support.
“Failure to offer it to a young carer is a breach of the law, but too many young carers told us that they aren’t offered that statement and as a result they miss out on the support that should open the door to,” he said.
He continued: “It is hugely concerning if young carers in Highland aren’t getting offered these Young Carer Statements because it means their rights are not being properly respected.
“It means that they miss out on the support they are entitled to, to help them in their caring role, to support them in their right to education, to health, to mental health, to an adequate standard of living and it’s critical that the local bodies, the local authority and the health board, ensure that children are offered this and are directly involved in producing these carer statements because you can’t claim to be engaging in rights-respecting practice if you are missing out on using a tool that is so fundamental to enable children to access their rights.”
He said it was important for local authorities, at officer and councillor level, to be mindful about their legal duties towards children and young people, particularly in an environment where resources were constrained.
He said local councillors should be asking how many young carers there were in the area, how many had been offered a Young Carer Statement and how many the local authority was supporting.
Mr Hobbs also said many young carers in Highland had told him there was a lack of flexibility within schools, where teachers did not take into account their unique circumstances and that the youngsters found that if they lived in rural areas, there was a distinct lack of direct support available to them.
“Before Covid, poverty was the single biggest issue for children and young people in Scotland,” he said.
“That is even more the case now, and young carers are right at the very heart of this.
“Young carers spoke to us about teachers showing no flexibility or offers of support in response to fluctuating demands on the young carer at home.
“In particular relevance to Highland, they talked about how tough it can be to get what you need in terms of support when you live in a rural area.”
Maree Todd expressed her “profound gratitude to all of those carers and people who support carers” as she gave her keynote speech.
The Minister also said there was a buzz at the event.
“It’s great to have an opportunity to talk about the huge contribution to our nation that unpaid carers make, it’s just awe-inspiring frankly,” she said.
“The Covid-19 pandemic shone a really bright light on the significance of this role.
“We’ve all developed a better understanding and appreciation of the vital role carers play in supporting the most vulnerable in society.”
Later in the day, a party took place for 60 adult carers and 200 young carers.
Activities provided included ice skating and curling including accessible curling for wheelchair users.
There were also taster sessions such as craft workshops, essential oils and laughter yoga.
A Highland Council spokesman said: "Highland Council recognises its requirement to offer a young carers statement and has processes in place to ensure a statement can be provided through the Highland practice model.
"Working in partnership with young carers groups, Highland Council is currently updating our young carers strategy which is based on the testimony and voice of young carers."
