Young Carers Statement (YCS)
Did you know?
If you are a young person who helps look after someone in your family, you may be entitled to a Young Carer Statement (YCS) under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. A Young Carer Statement is available to young carers who are under 18, or aged 18 and still attending school.
The process is relaxed, informal, and centred around what matters most to the young carer. One of our staff will meet with them to talk about their caring role and work alongside them to complete their statement.
What is a YCS?
A YCS gives young carers the opportunity to talk about their caring role, how it affects their day-to-day life, and what support may help them achieve their goals.
Who is a young carer?
Under Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 the definition of a Young Carer is anyone aged 18, and under or 18, and still at school who provides or intends to provide care to someone with an illness or disability.
A Young Carer could be providing care for a parent, sibling, grandparent or a close family friend. They do not need to be the main carer and do not need to live with the person they care for.
The person they care for may have a range of:
illnesses disabilities
additional support needs
mental health conditions
alcohol/substance misuse
Why should you complete a Young Carer Statement?
A Young Carer Statement can help to:
Recognise and record your caring role.
Make sure your views and goals are listened to.
Identify support that may help you.
Support conversations about school, wellbeing, hobbies, friendships, and future plans.
Help you balance caring with being a young person.
If you would like to find out more about Young Carer Statements, please get in touch with a member of our team on 01506 448000 or email us at ycservice@carers-westlothian.com.
We would love to hear from you.
““Completing a statement gave me a chance to talk about the things that were worrying me. I feel more supported now and know who I can speak to if I need help.””
Check the eligibility criteria
A member of our young carer staff team will meet with you to talk about your caring role, discuss what is important to you, and help you complete your Young Carer Statement.
Together, you can explore any support that may help you achieve your goals and have a good balance between caring and everyday life.
Download a copy
Here’s an example of a YCS
A member of our young carer staff team will discuss your Plan with you to decide what level of eligibility for support you have.
The West Lothian carer eligibility criteria can be viewed and downloaded:
Download a copy
Your most asked questions about Young Carer Statements
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Unfortunately, there are often long waiting times to get a Statement in place.
The law does not say that a Statement should be created within a certain time.
One exception is if the person you care for has a terminal illness and is expected to pass away within the next six months. In this case, your Carer Assessment should be offered within two working days and a Young Carer Statement completed within ten working days.
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When the Statement is completed, the worker will pass a copy to you and check it is accurate.
If you do not think it has accurately reflected your situation or needs, you can ask for changes to be made to it.
If your Statement recognises that you need support in your own right, it may give you access to a small budget to enable you to get this support.
Your Statement should be reviewed at least once a year to see if your circumstances or needs have changed.
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The law about support for unpaid carers and young carers is called the Carers Act (Scotland) 2016.
It says:
if your council identifies you as a carer or young carer, they must offer you a Young Carer Statement
you must be given a copy of your Young Carer Statement, unless your local council considers this would not be appropriate. You can also request for the Statement to be shared with someone else.
You can find the full text of the law here.
The Carers Act Statutory Guidance is legal guidance written for local councils to tell them how support for carers and young carers should work.
The guidance sets out what councils are expected to do around Young Carer Statements, including:
their duties to offer and to prepare an Young Carer Statement, and carers’ right to request a plan
timescales for creating a Statement for a carer or young carer who cares for someone who is terminally ill
identifying the needs and outcomes of carers
the minimum information that an Young Carer Statement must contain
how Young Carer Statements should be reviewed
what information carers should get about their Statement.
You can see the part of the Statutory Guidance that talks about these things here.
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The Scottish Government have published the Carers’ Charter, to help carers understand their rights under the law.
More questions?
