North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership

What is supported care?

Supported carers offer accommodation and practical/emotional support to young people aged from 16 to 21 with a wide range of needs. The supported care scheme offers these young people a secure place to live with a nurturing adult carer or family who can help them to develop the independent living skills they need to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Supported carers offer the young person a spare room in their home and provide the day-to-day emotional, social and practical support that the young person needs. This can help them to grow in confidence and to feel that they are not alone. It will also help them to develop the skills they will need to live independently in the future. The carer’s role is to guide and encourage the young person to achieve in employment, education, develop hobbies and maintain links with friends and family.

These young people will have been previously looked after by the local authority and come from a wide range of backgrounds. They may be leaving residential schools, children's houses or foster care, and supported care can also be an option for assisting young people through the National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, which is supported by North Ayrshire Council.

How do I become a supported carer?

The supported carers scheme assesses and recruits people from the local community who can give a room in their home to a young person.

Carers who have undertaken this role have found that it can be very rewarding to see a young person gaining the practical and social skills to enable them to take positive steps towards independent living.

If you’re interested in becoming a supported carer, please read through the following information and get in touch with us using the contact details below if you have any additional questions or would like to apply.

Why do these young people need support?

Many young people who have been in local authority care are vulnerable, and they may have had challenging home and family lives.

Like most young people, they need support to develop the necessary skills to live independently in the community when they move into their own accommodation.

Supported care for unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people

Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of young asylum-seekers coming to North Ayrshire through the National Transfer Scheme. By the time these young people arrive, they will often have experienced extremely difficult and dangerous journeys, taking months, or even years, after fleeing their country of origin. The main reasons why young people are seeking asylum are conflict and war, oppressive governments, political/religious/social persecution, abuse and exploitation.

Young asylum seekers will be dealing with loss and separation from their families and will often have endured physical and mental challenges during their arduous journey in vehicles, boats, and often on foot. These young people often experience further exploitation along the way, including forced labour, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. All of which can compound earlier traumatic life experiences.

North Ayrshire is proud of the support that it offers displaced and disadvantaged young people and is keen to grow this service. If you're interested in being a supported carer for a young asylum seeker aged 16 to 21, please get in touch using the contact details below.

• Scottish Government: refugees and asylum seekers - unaccompanied children.
• Migration Scotland: unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Who can provide supported care?

There's no such thing as a typical supported carer, and we welcome enquiries from anyone who is interested in providing guidance and support for young people at an important stage of their life. The only criteria are:

• you must be aged 25 years or over (there's no upper age limit for supported carers)
• you can be single, married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting
• you must have a spare bedroom (however you don't have to own your own home)

Do I need qualifications and will I get paid?

You don’t need any formal qualifications. What’s most important is that you are patient, understanding, and have a genuine interest in supporting vulnerable young people and providing them with a safe and caring environment. Supported carers will receive induction training, followed by ongoing training and support from a qualified social worker.

You will receive an allowance for each young person in your care. This is currently £280 per week, plus a start-up grant of £500 to prepare a bedroom for the young person.

What is the assessment process?

North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership has a duty to make sure that potential carers are assessed and approved. As part of the process, you will be asked to share information about yourself and your household.

The assessment and selection process is designed to help you decide if this role is right for you at this time. We are not looking for people who have had problem-free lives, but ordinary people who have had to work through life's difficulties. If this could be you, we are interested in how you dealt with problems and what you can offer a young person as a result of your experience.

Since other people in your household will also be affected, their life experiences will also be taken into consideration. As we will be placing young people who are under 18 years old and can be vulnerable, we are required to make several checks into your background. If you decide to go ahead with a formal application, you will be asked to give consent for the following:

• a police check regarding previous criminal records of all adults over 16 in the household (only convictions that are relevant to the carer's task would prevent us from accepting an application)
• a check of records held by social services
• information from your GP about any medical issues that could prevent you from carrying out the role
• two personal references providing information about your character and suitability to become a supported carer

How long does it take to become a supported carer?

The application process to become a supported carer takes approximately four months and will involve regular visits to your home. Following this, an assessment report will be completed and shared with you.

You will then be referred to the Supported Carer Panel, which is responsible for approving supported carers. If you are approved, you will then be matched with a young person and they will come to live with you after gradual introductions.

You can enquire about becoming a supported carer by completing the form below: