What is a young carer?
Young carers are children and young people under 18, whose lives are affected by caring for a member of their family. They may care for a relative who has a physical or learning disability, a long term illness, a terminal condition, mental ill health, or difficulties with drug or alcohol use.
Most young carers look after one of their parents or care for a brother or sister. They do extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning, or helping someone to get dressed and move about. Young carers may feel good about the help that they give and be proud of the skills they have, however, caring may also impact on:
- their attendance at school or college
- completing homework and gaining qualifications
- taking part in after school club, school trips or residential opportunities
- enjoying time with friends or taking part in hobbies
- their own mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Young people under 18 should not undertake inappropriate or excessive caring roles that have an impact on their development and wellbeing. So that we can effectively support young carers, we:
- identify young carers at the earliest opportunity to ensure support services are developed for a whole family approach
- support young carers to achieve their potential and have equal access as their peers to education, careers choices and broader opportunities
- safeguard young carers from inappropriate and excessive caring responsibilities.
Young carers support
Centre 33 is a local organisation that has been commissioned by us to provide a range of support to help children and young people up to the age of 18 who are caring for a family member.
You can find further details about the service Centre 33 are delivering by viewing a pdf of the All age carers service leaflet
Support for anyone caring for someone with a mental health condition aged 18 to 65
'Making Space' supports anyone who is caring for someone living with a mental health condition who is aged 18 to 65.
You can find further details about the serviceMaking Space are delivering by viewing a pdf of the All age carers service leaflet
Caring Together provides information, advice and support to anyone aged 18 or over who is caring for someone.
Know your rights - Support for young carers and young adult carers in England
There are different rights for young carers and young adult carers for them to get support depending on their age. In this guide you can find out about what rights you have and how to get more support
Know Your Rights - Support for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers in England
If you need to talk to someone about what options are available, Carers Direct advisers can give you information to help make decisions about your personal support needs and the needs of the person you are looking after.
Bursaries for young carers/young adult carers
Over the past year, Caring Together have been able to provide over £20,000 in grants and bursaries to young carers and young adult carers across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk.
This has helped young carers to access home learning, have a break from their caring role, or to buy essentials in an emergency when things have gone wrong at home (e.g. the freezer has broken).
They are delighted that thanks to funding from BBC Children in Need and their own fund raising, they are in a position to support even more young carers and young adult carers over February and March to reduce the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on their health, wellbeing, and education or employment.
Download information on how to apply
Download the application form
Are you living with a family member with an eating disorder?
Providing help and support to a family member can have many positives, but we know it can bring challenges too. Centre 33s Young Carers Service are providing group support to young people aged 18 or under who are living with a family member with an eating disorder.
This group aims to:
- Give young people the opportunity to gain peer support and share their experiences
- Provide a safe space to ask questions
- Help young people to feel less alone
- Increase understanding of eating disorders
- Give young people time to relax, have some time for themselves and have some fun
For more information about when and where the groups will be running, please contact Centre 33:
Email: youngcarers@centre33.org.uk
Phone: 0333 4141 809
Text/WhatsApp: 07498 312 776
www.centre33.org.uk