Information, support and services for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)

Local Offer

Andover Young Carers

Offering services to:
  • Secondary school aged children
  • Primary school aged children
  • Young people 16-18

Andover Young Carers are a registered charity supporting children and young people aged from 8 to 18 years with a caring responsibility of a family member within Andover and surrounding villages.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Amanda
Telephone
01264 333788 01264 333788
E-mail
info@andoveryoungcarers.co.uk
Website
www.andoveryoungcarers.co.uk/
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Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Supporting-Andover-Young-Carers/273133936126122?ref=hl

Where to go

Name
Andover Young Carers
Address
Churchill Bungalow,
Admirals Way
Andover
Postcode

SP10 1QG

View SP10 1QG on a map

Local Offer

What does your service do?

Andover Young Carers vision is to provide young carers the chance to be a child and have the same life chances as their peers, whilst developing a culture where we can minimise inappropriate care by young people. We support young carers to develop emotionally, physically and intellectually so they can achieve in life. We work to raise awareness within the Borough, highlighting the hidden issue of young carers in society. We endeavour to eliminate the stigma attached to being a carer and removing the barriers to access support, thus enhancing the quality of the young carer and the person they care for, quality of life. '''We deliver the following FREE services:''' * Clubs and Activities – 50 weeks of the year, we offer the opportunity for young carers to get together with other young people who have similar issues, join in activities, share common experiences and socialise within club sessions after school. * We offer weekly after school club for those with high needs and monthly clubs with lower needs. We also offer additional activities, trips and outings in the school holidays. * Tailored schools support is offered within the school. This enables young carers to take full advantage of opportunities for educational achievement. * Family Support – support and signposting to other agencies who can address the root cause. We also offer annual family activities.

Who does your service provide for?

OurOur services are FREE, but require a referral form to be completed and parental consent. Referral forms can be found on our website. We can accept a referral from any professional, including Social Worker, School etc or self referrals can be made.

How can I start using the service?

OurOur services are FREE, but require a referral form to be completed and parental consent. Referral forms can be found on our website. We can accept a referral from any professional, including Social Worker, School etc or self referrals can be made.

Where is it located and what areas does it cover?

Andover Young Carers covers the north of Test Valley. We are based in Andover and cover Andover and surrounding villages.

How are decisions made about who can use your service?

Andover Young Carers use the following criteria to determine whether someone may use our service: # To reside in the Andover area or surrounding villages. # To meet this definition of a young carer based on individual assessed need. # The caring responsibilities must have a negative impact on the child in at least one of the following: * Impaired Physical/mental health * Education, i.e. low attendance, exclusion * Impaired Emotional and Behavioural development * Family and social/peer relationships, i.e. bullying or family crisis

How do you communicate with service users and how are they involved in decision making?

Young carers are involved in the planning and delivery using regular feedback, questionnaires, sessional evaluations and suggestion boxes. Our beneficiary’s feedback influences and develops our tailored inclusive support. Annual questionnaires and monthly coffee mornings with parents are used to seek their views and consult on proposals for change. Annual consultation with partner agencies and organisations take place to identify the gaps in our services. We use letters, texts, phone calls, home visits and coffee mornings to communicate with parents.

Is your service fully accessible?

We have accessible toilets, but access to the building is down a gravel drive. However we wish to deliver tailored support and will endeavour to meet individual needs.

What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEN and Disabilities had or are having?

All staff undertake safeguarding training before commencing in role and complete regular and on-going safeguarding training. In addition, staff receive on-going professional development to meet the needs of the children we support.

How will I know my child is safe?

All staff and volunteers are DBS checked prior to commencing within the role and have this regularly re-checked. Staff receive appropriate training to the role to ensure that they are fully equipped to support children and young people. We undertake assessments with parents and young people and do this at a place that is convenient to the individual. This may be their home and/or at school. We also invite parents to our premises in advance so they are familiar with the surroundings before their child access support. We work in partnership with the referrer and other appropriate agencies to ensure we have up to date information and working together to support the child/young person and their family in a holistic way. We confirm parental consent and arrangements for children and young people getting to and from our premises. We request ID is shown for those collecting children and young people from an activity. We have a secure building and insist on best practice for ratios of adults to children. We risk assess each activity and area of our premises to reduce any potential risk.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

You can call the office on 01264 333788 or e-mail [mailto:info@andoveryoungcarers.co.uk info@andoveryoungcarers.co.uk] to discuss a possible referral. Once assessed and a plan of action for each child/young person is developed, parents and other agencies are best liaising with their key worker who will be assigned to see support through. If you are unhappy with the service being offered, then contacting the Manager is most appropriate.

Offering services to:
  • Secondary school aged children
  • Primary school aged children
  • Young people 16-18

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Last Updated: 20 April 2023

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