Membership Scheme (working title) (360G-SCVO-a133z00000Kp262AAB)

Since Covid, EYC have been and intend to continue delivering a “hybrid” service for all young carers referred to us, including face-to-face (F2F) and online support, depending on the young person’s preference. We are doing this in the face of an unprecedented demand for our core services.Most of our services are targeted at very vulnerable YCs who need intensive support with, for example, looking after a parent with alcohol addiction, or multiple school absences. In the last 12 months we have also seen increasing referrals for YCs who, while still needing support, require less intensive intervention at the point of referral. This applies (for example) to YCs needing help with creating a YC statement, or finding a volunteering opportunity, or needing short-term support in school. Currently these young people will be referred automatically to one of our existing services including intensive groups or one-to-one (121) support. This places additional pressure on our services and stretches our capacity to deliver. YCs with a need for intensive support are added to a growing waiting list while those with less complex challenges are on the same waiting list, but may not ultimately need support at the level provided.To address this, we would like to create a new “light touch” service for YCs who need less intensive support, but still very much need to be part of the EYC family. This would take the form of a membership/affiliate programme (with a user-friendly name TBC), allowing us to maintain contact with the young person, checking in with them regularly and providing information on services which might be of interest, including days out or residential breaks. It would also enable us to identify any change in the young person’s situation or support requirement. The scheme would be supplemented by printed and online resources for use by all young carers, their families and -eventually-professionals.We estimate that at least 50 young people a year could directly benefit from this approach, with the indirect benefits being felt by other YCs who will have quicker access to the intensive support they need and to additional advice and information. Without this additional resource, the YCs with lower-level needs may be “lost” and then reappear later with additional challenges. This in turn will place even more pressure on our services, and potentially on statutory services, including CAMHS.To ensure this approach works for all YCs referred to us, we have to ensure our technology is fit for purpose, allowing us to maintain the necessary communication with EYC, irrespective of their needs. We are seeking funding towards this cost, and towards the development costs of the programme, including upgrades to our website and the creation of printed and online resources. Our total funding request includes:• The purchase of laptops for staff members who are being recruited to manage the additional workload resulting from our increased referrals.• Webcams for all existing staff, enabling us to manage effectively implement our “hybrid” approach to service delivery which will be particularly beneficial to the YCs using the “light-touch”service• Upgrade of our website to create a “members only” area including: resources and signposting for YCs on how to find specific support, for example with mental health, employment, volunteering and eventually:• Citywide information for professionals seeking to make referrals (including teachers and social care)• Production of carer ID cards for all the YCs we support, facilitating access to community-based benefits • Two annual “Open Day” events (one in this funding period) to maintain connections and publicise the service.