Children's Needs – Parenting Capacity - Digital Education Resource ...

Implications for policy and practice 203The varying effects of parental mental illness, learning disability, problemdrinking and drug use and domestic violence demands the careful assessmentof each child’s developmental needs. For example, some children may takeon caring responsibilities. Young carers’ projects can enable access to services,support young people in key decisions, build self-esteem and confidenceand put young people in touch with others in similar circumstances. Theseprojects are greatly valued by young carers and often represent the only accessto dedicated support that children have as carers. However, the majorityare located within the voluntary sector and will require stable funding toensure their continuity. Most young carers’ projects focus on children; localauthorities should consider providing some form of specialist support foryoung carers over the age of 16 years.Too often little attention is paid to identifying the needs of young carers.There are at present two ways whereby young carers may have their needsassessed. Firstly, they may be defined as children in need under the ChildrenAct 1989, which would allow their needs to be assessed and services such asbefriending, counselling, respite care and recreational facilities to be provided.Second, the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 offers an opportunityfor carers over the age of 16 to receive an assessment and services, includingpayments, in their own right. The practice guidance for carers introduced in2008 (HM Government 2008) was developed to help professionals identifythe needs of young carers through a commitment to increase awareness ofcaring and the issues it raises across children’s settings. There is insufficienttraining and training materials for relevant professionals. Service interventionshould be designed to support children and young people and to minimisethe burden and negative effects of being a young carer.Many parents and adult family members fear that revealing their problemswill lead to punitive reactions by service providers. Practitioners should workwith great delicacy to ensure that they do not alienate parents and are sensitiveto parents’ reactions so that they can be both supportive and robust in themessages they give.Interventions which reduce the stress that parents experience are likely tobenefit children indirectly. ‘Community mothers’ programmes, voluntarybefriending schemes, and other social support interventions for mothers ofyoung children, such as those provided at Sure Start children’s centres andFamily Nurse Partnerships, can provide essential help. These more targetedcommunity-based programmes are often funded by short-term grants.Stable funding streams would allow such projects and others which focus onsupporting children and parents with specific issues such as mental healthproblems or learning disability, and community-based drug and alcoholservices, to provide the necessary long-term ongoing support for families.