Make a Referral
When to refer
EYC offers support to young carers living in the North and South-East of Edinburgh. If you, or a young person you know aged between 5 and 25 care for, or are affected by somebody at home living with a physical disability, mental ill health or who struggles with substance use and may enjoy a break from caring, some extra support, or just somebody to talk to, you can make a referral to us. You can also make a referral for a Young Carer Statement.
Please note that we are no longer able to provide travel to and from all of our support activities. Travel may be able to be provided in exceptional or one-off circumstances, but should not be expected as part of the support offered from EYC. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, and we would be more than happy to discuss in advance of making a referral.
Who can refer
Third parties: Any person can make a referral to EYC on behalf of a young carer, using the Referral form for Third Parties – Professionals, Parents & Guardians form. This form can be used by, for example; other family members, social workers, community and health workers, GPs, school and guidance teachers and voluntary sector workers. Please take time to read the Third Party Referral information before completing the form.
Self-referrals: If you are a young carer yourself or a young adult carer, you can send us your own referral by looking at the EYC Self Referral information below and then completing the Under 16 or 16-25 Self Referral form, depending on your age.
Young Carer Statements
Every young carer in Scotland, aged between 5 and 18 and still in school, is entitled to a Young Carer Statement under the Carers Act 2016. A Young Carer Statement will help to identify and highlight your personal goals and any support that you may require as a young carer, as well as record who is responsible for providing that support. It’s a summary of your caring role that you can use to let people like teachers, doctors and other professionals know how they can support you.
Click here and here for more information about the Young Carer Statement.
How to refer
**Please note that we currently have a waiting list time of up to 4 weeks for our Drug & Alcohol Service, up to 6 weeks for our EYC Membership Service, and up to 3 months for our 5-9 Service**
Please read the notes below and on the referral forms for detailed guidance on making a referral and how to complete the forms.
Email to info@youngcarers.org.uk, or post it to us at the address on the Contacts page.
Referral forms
Third Party Referral information & form (Professionals/Parent/Guardian/other)
- Referral Information & Guidance
- Referrals for Young Carers with Additional Needs – please read before making referral
- Referral form for Third Parties – Professionals, Parents & Guardians
You can follow the link below to complete our third-party referral form online and submit this directly to us. Please also work with the young carer to complete and return a self-referral form (linked below) so that we can hear from the young carer in their own words as well. Please ensure you have read the information and guidance documents before completing our online referral form. If you would like to complete a Young Carer Statement or Adult Carer Support Plan referral form, please follow the relevant links below.
Self Referral information & forms
Young Carer Statement Referral
GDPR – Privacy Notice
Guidance for making referrals and next steps
When making a third party referral, we prefer that both forms (Professional Referral and Self-Referral) are completed if possible, so that we have information from the young person’s point of view too, but we can accept the one form.
All information given on referral forms will be treated confidentially. If the referral proceeds, the forms will be kept in the young person’s file which they will have access to.
Due to the number of referrals we receive and limited resources, we can not always accept referrals. The referrer will be notified if we are able to take the referral and we will provide alternative support contacts if not.
When we are able to proceed with the referral, we will contact the referrer to find out any additional information or if circumstances have changed since the referral was made.
An initial meeting will be set up and then a worker will visit the young carer and their family at home, to explain more about the service and check that both parties are happy to proceed.
Exceptions can be made if the young person, referrer or family do not wish to have a home visit. The meeting can take place at our office or another venue.
