Young carers information

Carers play a vital role in our communities. While many people are familiar with adult carers, it’s important to recognise that children and young people can also take on caring responsibilities. These young carers often support a family member or friend who is ill, disabled, or needs extra help. Understanding their experiences helps us all to better support them.

A young carer is someone under 18 who, unpaid, helps look after someone in their family or a friend who needs extra help. This could be because the person is unwell, has a disability, or needs support in their daily life. Here are some ways young carers help:

• Staying in the house a lot to provide assistance and support
• Helping the person that they care for to get up, get washed or dressed, or helping with toileting
• Doing lots of the household chores like shopping, cleaning and cooking
• Looking after younger brothers and sisters
• Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions
• Providing emotional support or a shoulder to cry on
• Helping someone communicate or take medicine

Sometimes, young carers may not identify themselves as carers, but their responsibilities can have a significant impact on their lives.

Caring can be rewarding, but it can also affect a young person’s education, social life, and wellbeing. Young carers may:

• Miss out on time with friends or activities
• Find it hard to keep up with schoolwork
• Feel isolated or stressed

By recognising young carers and offering the right support, we can help them balance their caring role with being young and enjoying life.