The Triangle of Care for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers, A Guide for Mental Health Professionals

Following consultation, Carers Trust has developed the Triangle of Care for Young and Young Adult Carers, A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, as a supplementary guide to sit alongside the Triangle of Care. The Triangle of Care describes a therapeutic relationship between the patient, staff member and carer that promotes safety, supports communication and sustains wellbeing. 

Key points

• The Triangle of Care programme has identified that many frontline staff are unaware of who young carers are and what their needs are.
• Thanks to the support of NHS England, Carers Trust has produced a supplementary resource to support staff to understand the needs of young and young adult carers, what the challenges are to identifying them and how to overcome them.
• The resource supports the wider implementation of the Triangle of Care and works to ensure that all carers are included and supported by mental health services.

About the resource

The original Triangle of Care guide was launched in July 2010 by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers (now Carers Trust) and the National Mental Health Development Unit to highlight the need for better involvement of carers and families in the care planning and treatment of people with mental ill-health. The Triangle of Care was developed to address the clear evidence from carers that they need to be listened to and consulted more closely.

We have highlighted where considered adjustments are required to the approach of the Triangle of Care and its six standards in order to meet the specific needs of young and young adult carers. We have also included reasoning as to why and some solutions to the challenges.