Help and Support for you

Support for Young Carers 

A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a loved one who has a condition, such as a disability, illness, mental health condition, or a drug or alcohol problem.

Most young carers look after one of their parents or care for a brother or sister - but it could be that they are caring for someone outside of their family home. This might involve extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning, or helping someone to get dressed and move around.

Some children give a lot of physical help to a brother, sister or parent who is disabled or ill. They may also be giving emotional support to both sibling and parents.

For further information, please view the services featured in 'Support for Young Carers'

If you are a young carer or you are supporting a young carer and would like to request an assessment, please ring our Contact Centre on 0161 234 5001.

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What is a Young Carer?

What is a Young Carer?

Young carers are children and young people under 18 years old who provide unpaid care to a family member who is physically or mentally ill, disabled or misuses substances.

The tasks and level of caring undertaken by young carers can vary according to the nature of the illness or disability, the level and frequency of need for care and the structure of the family as a whole.

A young carer may undertake some or all of the following:

Practical tasks such as cooking, housework, shopping.

Physical care such as lifting, helping up the stairs and physiotherapy.

Personal Care such as dressing, washing and helping someone go to the toilet.

Emotional support such as listening, calming someone and being present.

Household management such as paying the bills, managing finances and collecting benefits.

Looking after siblings such as putting to be and walking to school.

Interpreting for parents with hearing or speech impediments or English as an additional language.

Administering medication such as insulin needles and preparing daily tablets.

See more information on Young Carers and what they do.

Support for Young Carers

Lots of young people care for a member of their family. This could be a brother or sister, a parent or an older relative.

Being a carer can mean lots of different things. See the things carers do, you may find you do some of these things in your family.

We know caring can be hard work, but often young people don’t ask for help. You may be worried about what will happen, maybe you haven’t wanted your friends to know what goes on at home, or maybe no one has asked.

Everyone needs help sometimes and our job is to make sure you get help if you need it. Get in touch and we’ll do what’s called a ‘carer’s assessment’. We’ll talk to you about the support we can give the person you care for, but also the support you need to get the most from school and your social life. We’ll also put you in touch with other young carers you can talk to.

Call us on 0161 234 5001.

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to us, why not talk to a teacher? They will be able to give you advice on what to do and may well have had students who were carers before.

If you are a young carer and would like help and support but unsure of who to go to, or how to start a conversation. These resources could help you develop some useful ways of coping. They can also remind you where to go when things aren't going so well

Young and Caring 

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