A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who provides or intends to provide care for a family member, friend or relative because they have a disability, chronic illness, mental health difficulty or an addiction. The young carer often assumes the responsibility of an adult, providing physical and/or emotional care on a regular basis.
What might a Young Carer do?
- Practical tasks, like cooking, housework and shopping
- Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed
- Emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed
- Personal care, such as helping someone dress/undress
- Managing the family budget
- Helping to give medicine or collecting prescriptions
- Helping someone communicate
- Dealing with emergencies
- Looking after siblings
The impact from caring
Being a young carer can have a positive impact on the young person as they feel good and proud about the support they provide and the useful skills they learn. However, many young carers often don’t see themselves as carers which can result in then missing out on vital help and support they need and deserve. Young carers can:
- Miss out on opportunities due to their caring role
- Become isolated from their peers
- Struggle to concentrate and/or feel stressed
- Limited social opportunities
- Reduction in educational attainments
- Experience stigma and bullying for being ‘different’
- Difficulty managing emotions
- Have little or no time for themselves
“The aim of our service is for Young Carers to be confident, ambitious and independent, to be protected from inappropriate care and enjoy a positive childhood”.