Plymouth City Council's Community Youth Team is spearheading an initiative to codesign a clearer and more youth-friendly assessment tool for young carers. Young carers, who are children and young people assisting in the care of a family member, have a statutory right to an assessment that understands their individual needs. However, many have found the current process complicated and inaccessible.
HDRC Plymouth is providing research guidance and supporting the involvement of young people in the redesign process. Young carers are playing a central role, helping to determine the questions asked, the language used, the visual design of the assessment, and how it can better reflect diverse caring roles and experiences.
The project aims to develop a simple, supportive assessment form that genuinely represents young carers' voices. The new design will also incorporate the 'No Wrong Doors' approach, ensuring young people are identified earlier and do not fall through the cracks between services.
Young carers are playing a central role in shaping the new assessment.
For further information on this project, please contact the HDRC Plymouth Researchers-in-Residence.
