Young carers in Nottinghamshire to benefit from extra cash for direct payments

The cash will include funding for an increased number of direct payments to young carers, including a number of children aged between just five- and six-years-old.

The budget for supporting young carers and their parents in the local authority had initially been set at £900,000 a year for two years in 2011, but a council spokesman told CYP Now that the money would be doubled and made permanent from next year.

Among the youngest already being supported by direct payments to young carers in Nottingham is six-year-old Ruby Ashton, whose four-year old sister and mother are missing toes and fingers through a hereditary birth defect.

Her father also has mental health issues and she is often called on to help with manual tasks such as fastening buttons and opening food packaging.

Ruby has received a direct payment of £400 this year, which she has chosen to spend on an iPad with educational apps. Council funding also pays for a care assistant to help the family get ready six mornings a week.

Meanwhile, the charity Family Action has been commissioned to support young carers in the county since 2009. They provide Ruby with respite days out.

In total 100 Nottinghamshire young carers, aged between five and 24 receive direct payments. The council’s young carers strategy was launched in 2011 and focuses on targeting funding to make sure that young carers do not carry out care that is inappropriate for their age.

Kevin Rostance, chairman of the county council’s adult social care and health committee, said: “The support we provide helps make sure this group of young people are not disadvantaged by the responsibilities they undertake, and that they are able to achieve their potential and enjoy the same opportunities as their peers.”