Who is a young carer? A young carer is someone under 18 who helps look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled, has mental health issues or misuses drugs or alcohol.
What might a young carer do?
- Practical tasks, such as cooking, housework, shopping and family budgeting
- Emotional support, such as talking to someone who is distressed
- Personal care, such as helping someone out of bed with a hoist and to help them to dress
- Helping with siblings
- Helping to give medicine, collecting prescriptions
How a caring role can affect a young carer:
Emotionally – putting others first, being worried anxious or stressed
Physically – Suffering strains from heavy lifting, not looking after their own health
Socially – Not able to meet up with friends
Educationally – Difficulties concentrating in class, feeling tired, worried, no time for homework
Giving Young Carers a Voice
Our groups give young carers a chance to talk to one another about their life as a young carer and share their experiences. Our one-to-one sessions offer young carers a chance to talk about how things are going at home giving us an opportunity to identify if further support may be needed.
We will support young carers to be involved in national initiatives, for example the Carers Trust Twitter Thunderclap on Young Carers Awareness Day, the Young Carers Festival and Youth Parliament.
We are a Network Partner of Carers Trust which has a strong national presence with regard to influencing national policy and direction.
How Crossroads Together can help
- Time away from caring responsibilities
- Meet other young carers
- Take part in peer support and skills based activities
- Go on day trips
- Support in school and with homework
- Learn new skills
- Someone to listen and a place to talk
- Information and funding
Most importantly... you can have some fun!
We provide young carer services in Cheshire East, Cheshire West,
Herefordshire and Shropshire.
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Young carers
“Thank you for supporting young carers. It really helps as it makes a HUGE difference; if young carers weren’t here I would feel like the odd one out for EVER. And I wouldn’t have made so many new friends”
“I have never had a day like this. BEST DAY EVER”
“We have been very impressed by what is on offer to Ellie. She seems to be very content knowing that help is there if she needs it, and is very proud to be recognised as a young carer”