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<p>Section 96 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which came into force in April
2015, imposes a duty on local authorities to to <em>“…take reasonable steps to identify
the extent to which there are young carers within their area who have needs for support.”</em>
Once a young carer has been assessed, the local authority must consider whether the
child has needs that could be met by services provided under section 17 of the Children
Act 1989, that is, whether they should be supported as a child in need.</p><p>The
Department currently supports the Carers Trust to help local authorities and voluntary
sector partners to embed good practice, including good practice surrounding whole
family support. This approach is intended to ensure effective, joined up, support
with the potential to offer a single point of professional contact for young carers
and their families. We will draw on the learning from that work when considering further
action.</p>
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