Ceredigion County Council

The Young Carer ID Card is for Young Carers. A Young Carer is someone who helps to look after a friend or family member who cannot manage on their own because they have a disability, physical or mental illness or are affected by substance or alcohol misuse.

You can apply for the Young Carer ID Card if you or the person that you care for lives in Ceredigion.

You can apply for a Young Carer ID Card by filling in the online application form. You will need to upload a photo of yourself to be used on the card. Read the photo guidelines to find out more.

If you are under 14 years old, we will need to contact your parent/ guardian to get their consent for you to apply for a Young Carer Card.

We may need to contact an adult about your application. The adult could be your parent/ guardian or an adult you know from school, college, Young Carer Service or other service or from a club or group that you are part of. Please make sure you have their name, phone number and email address ready before you start to fill in the application form.

If you are a parent/ guardian, you can apply for a Young Carer ID Card for the Young Carer by filling in the online application form.

If you are a person supporting or working with a Young Carer, you are considered a ‘trusted referrer’ so you can apply for a Young Carers ID Card on behalf of a Young Carer.

Trusted referrers are people who know the Young Carer, usually through a professional capacity who can verify that they are eligible to apply for a Young Carer ID Card. Examples of areas that trusted referrers may work in are listed below.

• School service
• Young Carer Service
• Adult Carer Service
• Social Care or other Ceredigion County Council service
• NHS/ Health Board
• Third sector organisation
• Youth service/ youth work

If the Young Carer is under the age of 14, as trusted referrer, you must have the Young Carer’s and parent/ guardian consent to submit the application.

If the Young Carer is over the age of 14, as trusted referrer you must have the Young Carer’s consent to submit the application.

You will need to upload a photo of the Young Carer to be used on the card. Read the photo guidelines to find out more.

The Young Carer ID Card shows that the cardholder is a Young Carer. You can use the card to show that you help to care for someone.

You can choose the background image on the card from the 6 set images shown here or you can send your own background image to be used on the card.

Please upload a good quality photo (head & shoulders) of yourself to be used on the card. You can ask a family member or friend to take a picture on a phone or other device. The size of your photo must not exceed 2MB if you are uploading it online.

If you are not able to upload your photo then please email a photo to connecting@ceredigion.gov.uk or phone Ceredigion County Council on 01545 574200 for help with submitting a photo.

The photo should:

• be a recent colour photo
• be of the Young Carer alone (no other people or pets)
• be taken against a pale background
• show the Young Carer facing forwards with head and shoulders in the photograph
• show the Young Carer’s full face
• show the Young Carer in the centre of the photograph
• if the Young Carer wears glasses, show their eyes clearly and avoid glare on the lenses

Please be aware of the following restrictions.

The photo should not:

• show the Young Carer wearing a hat or head cover unless for medical or religious reasons
• show the Young Carer with photographic red eye
• show the Young Carer in the distance or with other people visible
• be of inappropriate or obscene images
• show the Young Carer with edited or altered appearance or with a filter applied
• be an image of someone else or copyright protected images
• do not submit a photo in which you have edited to altered your appearance or which has had a filter applied to it
• do not submit an image of someone else or copyright protected images

File format

The image should be a .jpg or jpeg file and should be less than 2MB.

The Young Carer ID Card is new to Ceredigion and we are working with local businesses and other organisations to identify the benefits and discounts that having a Young Carer ID Card will give you.

The benefits and discounts listed below are currently available to Carer Card cardholders. This information will be updated as and when new benefits or discounts become available.

FREE gym membership

You can use your Young Carer ID Card to access all the facilities at your local leisure centre.

Your card now gives you free:

• Gym membership
• Swimming
• Council run classes and activities

You must show your card to access all these benefits, so please remember to take it with you!

Proof of caring role when asking for free flu vaccinations

Young Carers are eligible for a free flu vaccination. The Carer Card can be used as proof of your caring role in order to claim your free influenza vaccinations. You can ask your GP surgery for your free influenza vaccination or your local pharmacy (not all pharmacies are providing flu vaccinations).

Free training session with Dysgu Bro

Dysgu Bro provide a range of learning opportunities for adults and young people aged 16 and over such as courses to improve IT and digital skills to creatives and lifestyle courses. The first training session of any Dysgu Bro training course is free of charge for Carer Card cardholders. For more information about training courses, visit www.dysgubro.org.uk or phone 01970 633540.

Before applying for a Young Carer ID Card, please the terms and conditions and information below.

• The Young Carer Card is provided to unpaid Carers age 18 and under who live in Ceredigion or who help care for someone who lives in Ceredigion.
• The Carer Card is available to members of the Young Carer Info Service.
• If the application for a Young Carer card has not been submitted by a trusted referrer, Ceredigion County Council may occasionally ask the Young Carer Card applicant/ cardholder (where appropriate) or parent/ guardian to provide information or evidence of the Young Carer’s caring role, such as a letter from a doctor, school or other appropriate supporting evidence.
• The Young Carer Card is valid for 2 years from the date of issue. It is the parent/ guardian's or Young Carer's responsibility to apply to Ceredigion Carers and Community Support to renew the card. A trusted referrer may also apply to Ceredigion County Council to renew the card on the Young Carer’s behalf.
• Use of the card is subject to these terms and conditions.
• If a Young Carer's caring role has ended, the parent/ guardian or Young Carer must notify Ceredigion County Council of the change. The Young Carer may carry on using the card for a further 3 months then the card must be returned to Ceredigion County Council.
• Young Carer Cards are issued with photographic identification, a reference number and an expiry date. The Young Carer Card is used for identification purposes and should only be used by the card holder in conjunction with any discount or service offered.
• Ceredigion County Council reserve the right to change the appearance and conditions of the Young Carer Card, or withdraw the Young Carer Card scheme at any time.
• If the Young Carer Card is lost or misplaced your Carer Card, please contact Ceredigion County Council on 01545 574200 and a replacement card can be issued. There may be a small charge for issuing replacement cards.
• Ceredigion County Council reserve the right to change the terms and conditions of this agreement at any time. If we do so, we will notify you in writing at least 30 days before making any such changes, providing details of the changes made.

If you wish to renew your Carer Card please email connecting@ceredigion.gov.uk. Please state your Carer Card ID number and advise if your details have changed i.e. address or contact number, since your card was last issued.

You can contact Ceredigion Carers and Community Support using the contact details below for more information:

Phone: 01545 574200
Email: connecting@ceredigion.gov.uk