Young carers toget help fromnew employees

The new posts will cost Nottinghamshire County Council £109,204 a year.

Their role will focus on assessing young people who care for a parent or sibling with a disability or illness to see if more support is needed for them and the person they look after.

In Nottinghamshire 326 young carers, aged between five to 18 years, have benefitted from help and support since April 2014.

These include 60 in Mansfield where the cost of support is £31,625.21, 
56 in Ashfield where the cost is £32,321.23 and 40 in Gedling where the cost is £30,110.7.

Oliver, 9, and Jacob, 12, Brown from Mansfield help their father Chris to look after their mother Rachel.

Rachel Brown has physical disabilities, mental health problems and a non-epileptic seizure disorder which affect her mobility and leave her in a great deal of pain. Chris also has pain problems and has cerebral palsy.

Rachel currently receives a Direct Payment from the council which enables her to employ a personal assistant for around 26 hours each week. The boys also have a Direct Payment, which have been used for days out.

Direct Payments can be used in a variety of ways including computer equipment for educational purposes, internet access, driving or music lessons, or activities such as ballet, horse riding or cinema trips.

To find out more about the support that is available to young carers in the county contact 0300 500 80 80 or email [email protected]