Young carers and young adult carers
A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps to look after a relative who has:
- a disability
- illness
- mental health condition
- issues with substance/alcohol misuse.
A young adult carer is someone aged up to 25 with caring responsibilities.
Most young carers and young adult carers care for a parent or sibling. They might also care for a grandparent or someone else in their extended family.
They may be supporting with tasks in the home such as:
- cleaning
- cooking
- helping someone to get dressed
- helping someone to get around their home and the community
- looking after siblings
- providing emotional support, for example:
- listening to someone
- trying to keep them calm
What is the difference between a young carer and another young person who helps in the home?
A young carer has to help because the person they care for cannot meet all their own needs.
Other young people who help in the home take on tasks and responsibilities as part of growing up and learning life skills.
How do we help young carers?
Family Action provide a designated Young Carers Darlington service[external link]
The service works with Young Carers (5-25), and their families, to provide support. They ensure that children and young people are protected from inappropriate caring. They give the support needed to thrive and enjoy positive childhoods.
Keeping the young carer at the heart of all they do they provide a range of activities including;
- initial assessments
- one-to-one sessions
- fun activities
- carer breaks
The service uses a whole family approach. This ensures that young carers and everyone in the family receive the best support. Identifying problems early means that all services can work together. This can prevent a family’s needs escalating which could mean needing even more help.
Young carers are offered a full Young Carer Needs Assessment. This identifies the level of caring and how this is impacts the person. A support plan is created with the young carer's input. The aim is reduce the impact of caring, and ensure the young person is offered the same life opportunities as their peers.
The help you can receive
- Young Carer Needs Assessment
- Signposting, information and advice
- Whole family support
- One to one sessions
- 5 ‘High Five’ support sessions (yearly). High Five outcomes: Be Safe, Be Heard, Be a Voice, Be Healthy, and, Be Strong
- Peer support when needed
- Access to carer breaks
- An ambassador programme for those moving on from the service who wish to use their experience to benefit their peers
Why do young carers need support?
Being a young carer can affect many areas of a young person’s life. This could include school, college, employment and socialising.
A young person's caring role may become over demanding or inappropriate. This may lead to isolation from their peers. They may have less opportunities to reach their full potential.
Caring for someone is a big responsibility. Worry and stress can affect education attendance and achievement. This can have an impact on a young carer’s mental health.
How to contact?
Young Carers Darlington[external link]
Saint Teresa’s Hospice,
91 Woodland Rd,
Darlington, DL3 7UA
tel: 01325 794 888
email: [email protected].
Young Carers Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
This MOU is for Darlington Young Carers. It is an agreement between organisations to work together to support young carers and their families.
Children and young people who care have the same rights as all children and young people. We should be pursuing the same outcomes for them. Like all children they should be able to enjoy positive, healthy childhoods. Thus includes being able to learn, achieve and develop friendships.
To improve the support that we provide to young carers, the MOU sets out actions required in a number of areas;
- promoting early identification
- assessment
- safeguarding
- schools and young carers
- health of young carers
- information, advice and advocacy
- funding responsibilities and resolving disagreements
It also highlights other specific issues:
- transitions to adulthood,
- parents with mental health needs
- parents who misuse substances (alcohol, prescribed or illicit drugs)
- parents with a learning disability
- refugee young carers
Read our agreed MOU [pdf document]
Further information
- Young Carers Darlington Website [external link]
- Family Action YC Services Facebook page [external link]
- Young Adult Carers Support Darlington leaflet [PDF document]
- Support for young adult carers [external link]
