Young Carers
Young carers are children and young people under 18 years old, who look after a member of the family who is sick, disabled, has mental health problems or is misusing drugs or alcohol. Young Carers may look after parents/carers, care for a sibling, or other relative.
Their caring responsibilities can vary but can include:
- Staying in the house a lot to be there for the Cared For
- Helping them to get up, get washed or dressed, or helping with using the loo.
- Supporting with medication
- Doing lots of the household chores like shopping, cleaning, and cooking
- Looking after younger brothers and sisters
- Providing emotional support or a shoulder to cry on
Young carers do an amazing job and often feel very proud of the job they do. Indeed, lots of children and young people want to help out and feel proud that they are lending a hand. At the same time the impact of these caring responsibilities may cause difficulties at home, school, college or elsewhere:
- It can affect a young person’s health, social life, and self-confidence.
- Many young carers struggle to juggle their education and caring which can cause pressure and stress.
- In a survey, 39% said that nobody in their school was aware of their caring role.
- 26% have been bullied at school because of their caring role.
- 1 in 20 miss school because of their caring role.
Under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014, there is a duty on the Local Authority, working with partners to actively identify young carers and ensure they receive the support they need. To do this, it is essential for agencies and professionals across the partnership to be aware of and able to identify young carers.
Children and young people may not feel able to talk about the challenges they face if they care for a loved one. They may feel guilty or even worried about the consequences of speaking up difficulties. Below are some of the signs that may suggest a child or young person is struggling to cope:
- Withdrawing into themselves and becoming anxious or frustrated
- Sudden changes in concentration or educational performance
- Changes in attendance patterns (possibly linked to fear of leaving an unwell parent), school refusal, being late.
- Other behaviour changes – particularly longer-term challenging behaviour
- A change in how organised and ready for school they are.
- Physical health problems
- Frequent unexplained angry outbursts
- Being tired (possibly due to anxiety or being woken by unwell parents).
The following are some useful resources for Young Carers and practitioners supporting young people.
- Carers Trust – works to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.
- The Children’s Society – raise awareness of young carers needs, campaign for policy change, support schools, and work to see that these young people get the future and support they deserve.
- YoungMinds – committed to improving the well-being and mental health of children and young people.