Innovative Resources for Young Carers: Ffion Wynne Edwards’ Approach at Gwynedd Council

Ffion Wynne Edwards is the Young Carers Officer at Gwynedd Council.

Support for young carers

Young carers in Gwynedd can access one-to-one support through our third party organisation, Action for Children. This can be done through a simple referral form by a professional worker, or by the young carer themselves via our website,

Any person requesting support as a young carer is offered an Young Carers Needs Assessment, which allows us to understand what support might be needed by that young carer.

Support for young carers in schools

Our young carers deserve nothing less than an understanding and kind school and with our support the schools are more knowledgeable about our young carers’ lives.

We support schools by conducting assemblies in every school in Gwynedd, explaining in detail how young carers can access help and information, including accessing the YCID card and the app.

We show a film to primary schools and leave an information booklet to take home, which doubles as a colouring book.

For secondary schools, we show a short documentary depicting the YCID card, the Aidi app and how they can help the lives of our young carers. We are taking information and putting it in the hands of everyone who may need it.

We have worked closely with our schools to ensure everyone has a designated contact specifically for young carers at the school, and they are the contact point when using the app.

We also offer a teachers training programme to inform teachers on how to support young carers. We are taking information and putting it in the hands of everyone who may need it.

Young Carer ID Card

The card is recognised in schools because of the effort we put in to raise awareness.

The card has an APP in Gwynedd a Môn, and this is a fantastic resource for keeping pupils in touch with their teachers and support networks within schools. Please look at our website to learn more about the app.

We work a discount scheme alongside our card and one of the great benefits that we have obtained is the free swimming for young carers and a friend. This enables them to have much needed breaks and to have fun.

We created a video asking young carers to share their experiences of the YCID, which gave really positive feedback.