Young Carers Service Cheshire West & Chester
Supporting the Young Carers of Cheshire West & Chester
Life as a young carer can be challenging. If you are between 6 and 18 years old and help look after someone at home who is ill, or has a mental or physical disability, we are here to help you.
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
Watch Poppy’s Story to give you a real insight into what life can be like for a young carer
How Crossroads Together can help:
Groups for young carers
Fun, relaxed and varied group activities where you can hang out with other people your age in an easy going and supportive setting.
(Age groups 6-11 and 12-18)
- Fortnightly on Thursday evenings.
Chester (supporting young people in Chester and Ellesmere Port and rural)
Rudheath (supporting young people in Vale Royal)
- Term time groups in the evenings
- Time away from caring responsibilities
- Meet other young carers
- Online Zoom groups when we can’t meet face to face
- Someone to listen and a place to talk
Summer and School Half term
- Day trips for each age group, to be decided by the group
- Focus activities such as young leaders, creative workshops and First Aid
Young Carers Forum
- Have your voice heard by the people who can make change happen
- Take part in surveys and consultations
- Represent young cares voice and meet with council officials and commissioners
One to One Support
- Information and funding advice
- Help with dealing with how you are feeling
- A chance to offload
- Support and advocacy
We also ensure young carers have lots of fun!
Young Carers in Schools
YCiS is a free initiative that makes it as easy as possible for schools to support young carers, and awards good practice.
Run jointly by Carers Trust and The Children’s Society, the Young Carers in Schools (YCiS) programme works with schools across England to share good practice, provide relevant tools and training, and to celebrate the great outcomes that many schools achieve for young carers.
At Crossroads Together, we have a dedicated YCiS project worker who works in partnership with schools across Cheshire West & Chester to support them to achieve their award.
To find out more about YCiS click here.
Get in touch or make a referral
To make a referral, please use the forms below. If you are making a general enquiry, please enter your details to arrange a call back.
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Contact Cheshire West & Chester Young Carers
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Cheshire West and Chester - Young Carers - Referral Pathway
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Cheshire West and Chester - Young Carers - Professional Referral Form
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Cheshire West and Chester - Young Carers - Self Referral Form
Posters, leaflets and more information
Click the box below to take you through to posters and leaflets that you can download.
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Young Carers - Posters & Leaflets
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Young Carers - Information to Download
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Young Carers In Schools Award
Upcoming Events and Activities
Click on each month below to find out what events and activities we have coming up for our Cheshire & Cheshire West Young Carers.
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July
Thursday 7th July – Chester Group Session – Story House – Creating a storyboard and brief for the actors
Thursday 14th July – Northwich Group Session –Internet Safety Information
21st July – Chester Group Session – Circus Skills
26th July (12-18) – Trip to The Seaside – We will be visiting New Brighton for the day!
28th July (6-11) – Cinema Trip
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August
3rd August (6-11) – Bowling
10th August (12-18) – Bowling
11th August (6-11) – Reaseheath Visit – A visit to Reaseheath mini zoo
16th August (6-11) – Trip to The Seaside – We will be visiting New Brighton for the day!
22nd August (12-18) – First Aid Training and Coping With Challenges
Arrange a call back...
This young carers service offers support to young carers in Cheshire West & Chester. This service is funded by:
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”