Adult Social Care Glossary, v 0.6

(1) A local authority must assess whether a young carer within their area has needs for support and, if so, what those needs are, if—
(a) it appears to the authority that the young carer may have needs for support, or
(b) the authority receive a request from the young carer or a parent of the young carer to assess the young carer's needs for support.

(2) An assessment under subsection (1) is referred to in this Part as a “young carer's needs assessment”.

(3) In this Part “young carer” means a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (but this is qualified by section 17ZB(3)).

(4) Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a young carer if the local authority have previously carried out a care-related assessment of the young carer in relation to the same person cared for.

(5) But subsection (1) does apply (and so a young carer's needs assessment must be carried out) if it appears to the authority that the needs or circumstances of the young carer or the person cared for have changed since the last care-related assessment.

(6) “Care-related assessment” means—
(a) a young carer's needs assessment;
(b) an assessment under any of the following—
(i) section 1 of the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995;
(ii) section 1 of the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000;
(iii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(iv) Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

(7) A young carer's needs assessment must include an assessment of whether it is appropriate for the young carer to provide, or continue to provide, care for the person in question, in the light of the young carer's needs for support, other needs and wishes.

(8) A local authority, in carrying out a young carer's needs assessment, must have regard to—
(a) the extent to which the young carer is participating in or wishes to participate in education, training or recreation, and
(b) the extent to which the young carer works or wishes to work.

(9) A local authority, in carrying out a young carer's needs assessment, must involve—
(a) the young carer,
(b) the young carer's parents, and
(c) any person who the young carer or a parent of the young carer requests the authority to involve.

(10) A local authority that have carried out a young carer's needs assessment must give a written record of the assessment to—
(a) the young carer,
(b) the young carer's parents, and
(c) any person to whom the young carer or a parent of the young carer requests the authority to give a copy.

(11) Where the person cared for is under 18, the written record must state whether the local authority consider him or her to be a child in need.

(12) A local authority must take reasonable steps to identify the extent to which there are young carers within their area who have needs for support.