Young Carer Officer

**North Ayrshire Carers Gateway Young Carer Officer - UNITY**

**Full time - 35 hours per week - £22,000 per annum - 3 x North Ayrshire school clusters - Auchenharvie, Ardrossan & St Matthews - position available on a permanent basis.**

21 HSC are proud to announce that we have been exclusively retained on behalf of Unity to recruit a Carers Gateway Young Carer Officer.

Unity is a highly regarded and long-established charity that provides a range of services to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the West of Scotland. In North Ayrshire, they have supported unpaid carers for more than 20 years and have been contracted by the local Health and Social Care Partnership to introduce a vastly enhanced service. The new North Ayrshire Carers Gateway model will help more people, in more places and in more ways than ever before. The Young Carers Coordinator will be instrumental in achieving that.

The purpose of the role is to improve the health and wellbeing of young carers in North Ayrshire. Working in schools and other community settings they identify young people aged between 8 and 18 who have caring responsibilities and support them to access a range of services and activities. The Officers raise awareness of the challenges faced by young carers amongst education, youth, and health professionals, encouraging earlier identification of carers and a multi-disciplinary approach in support them.

A young carer is between the age of eight and eighteen years old who provides support to a family member, whose life is affected by alcohol and or drug misuse, mental or physical illness or disability and who may have emotional and physical responsibilities beyond those normally given to children of their age.

**Key Roles and Responsibilities**:

- Responsible for proactive identification of young carers within the locality.
- Responsible for responding to all enquiries and referrals for young carers in the locality, providing carers with both emotional and practical support.
- Responsible for ensuring that all young carers needs are met by utilising the appropriate Gateway assessment tool to identify and prioritise needs.
- Responsible for providing support activities for young carers, both within and out with the school setting. This includes, but is not limited to, 1:1 support, peer support, group activities and residential trips.
- Responsible for liaising with local partner organisations to support young carer identification and the support available to them.
- Provide guidance on young carers rights and entitlements, liaising with the Gateway Welfare & Benefits Officer as required.

**Essential/Desirable Skills and Attributes**
- It is desirable to have an SVQ in Social Care or equivalent qualification.
- It is essential to have a driving licence and access to a car for business use.
- It is essential to have previous work experience with unpaid carers, lived experience or relatable voluntary experience.
- It is essential to understand Carers Rights, Benefits and Local Strategy.
- It is essential to have experience of managing a Caseload, good note taking and follow up.

**To Apply**

21 HSC Limited is an equal opportunities employer.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

**Salary**: £22,000.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company pension

Schedule:

- Day shift
- Weekend availability

Application question(s):

- Do you have eligibility to work in the UK?

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: YCO/SC11/08