National carers strategy: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment

2. What impact will your policy/measure have on children's rights?

Positive

The intended impact of the National Carers Strategy is to improve outcomes for carers, including children and young people with caring responsibilities (and people caring for children with disabilities and long-term health conditions which should indirectly benefit the children being looked after). This will be achieved through the range of actions in the Strategy, both continuing existing initiatives and new approaches/activities to ensure carers are recognised and supported in a joined up and cohesive way. Much of this support is regardless of the intensity of their caring roles. Throughout the Strategy, the focus on promoting choice and flexibility means that support can be tailored to individual circumstances. This is particularly important given the diversity of caring situations and carers' needs. The human rights-based approach to the delivery of this support ensures that young carers can input into decisions which affect them and promotes equality of access to support to account for those carers who may be disproportionately affected by the negative impacts of caring.

The Strategy's specific strategic outcomes for young carers are:

• Young carers are supported and protected from inappropriate caring and negative impacts on their education, social lives and future opportunities.
• Young adult carers are supported when moving from education to training and work while balancing an ongoing caring role.

The commitments and initiatives outlined in the Strategy for young carers will help ensure they have access to the same opportunities as their peers without caring responsibilities and are able to live a balanced life.