What is a young carer?
A young carer is anyone under 25 who helps to look after someone with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem. Being a young carer means doing extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning or helping someone get dressed and move around.
What is the impact of being a young carer?
Being a carer can have a profound effect on young people’s lives. The impacts of being a carer can include:
- missing sleep (e.g. have to get up in the night or stay up late) taking care of someone at night
- Because of caring duties at home, being absent or late for work or classes
- Because of caring duties at home, missing out on work and events at school
- Because of caring duties at home, not having time to hang out with my friends
- Because of caring not having enough time to take care of my own needs
- having to do things that make me upset
- Feeling stressed
- Feeling very lonely
- Feeling like I can’t cope
- Changing future school or work plans
Are you or someone you know a young carer?
A young carer is anyone who regularly undertakes one or more of the tasks below:
- Take responsibility for shopping for food for the family
- Make main meals for the family
- Wash or iron clothes for other people you live with
- Help with financial matters such as dealing with bills, banking, collecting benefits
- Help with paperwork e.g. writing letters for someone, filling in forms
- Interpret, sign or use another communication system for the person you care for*
- Interpret for someone you live with because English is not their first language
- Go to the doctor or hospital with the person you care for
- Help the person you care for to dress or undress
- Help the person you care for to have a wash, bath or shower
- Help the person you care for to walk, get up the stairs, get into and out of bed
- Help the person you care for use the toilet
- Making appointments/being main point of contact for the cared for person’s GP.
- Help the person you care for with their medication e.g. making sure he/she takes their pills, giving injections, changing dressings
- Take brothers or sisters to school
- Look after brothers or sisters on your own
How we support young carers
Young carers aged 5-16
We know how important it is for young people to have a break from the responsibilities of caring, to socialise and to meet other young carers. Our support includes drop in sessins at our Carers Hub for young peipke to relax and take a break, half term trips and activities, trips away (residentials), and advice and support about particular issues or challenges young carers are facing.
Young adult carers aged 17-25
We understand how challenging it can be to juggle caring with school, college, university or a job. We provide drop in sessions to relax, advice and support from benefits to housing, monthly trips with other young adult carers such as to the cinema and theme parks, and work experience.
Information for professionals
We provide information to help you identify if someone you work with might be a young carer and we run free information and training sessions for schools. Young carers aged 5 to 16 must be referred by a professional in order to access our services.
Register for support
Young carers aged 5-16
To use our services for young people aged 5-16, we need a referral from a professional – this could be a teacher, social worker, GP or someone else who supports you and/or the person you care for in a professional role.
Young adult carers aged 17-25
You can register with us yourself, or we are also happy to receive a referral from a professional – this could be a teacher, social worker, GP or someone else who supports you and/or the person you care for in a professional role. You just need to fill out our referral form and return it by email.