he recently updated Carers’ Strategy recognises that many young carers remain hidden from services. It suggests that more should be done to identify and support young carers and that all services should be more ‘carer aware’. The strategy also highlights the benefits of taking a personalised, whole family approach, which looks at the needs and views of all individuals within the family.

This paper focuses on the work undertaken by 18 local authorities (LAs) that received funding to develop systems and support to address the needs of families with young carers. It explores some of the positive outcomes linked to taking a family focused approach and showcases good practice developed in this field.

The research, drawn from the Family Pathfinder Evaluation, looks at the progress made by local authorities in developing family focused support and highlights some of the challenges faced. A more in-depth assessment of the challenges and achievements will be provided in the final Family Pathfinder Evaluation report in spring 2011.

Includes:

• The policy context
• Family impact
• Support for the whole family
• Approaches to delivering family focused support
• Approaches to delivering strategic change
• Conclusion
• Contact details
• Annexes

To download http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/AllPublications/Page1/DFE-R...