Young Carers

A young carer is someone under 25 who helps look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled, has a mental health condition or misuses drugs or alcohol.

Young carers take on a lot of responsibilities, including washing and dressing the person they’re caring for and looking after younger siblings – plus domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning and shopping. Some young people aren’t sure if they can actually call themselves a ‘young carer’. But even if you aren’t the only one who is doing the looking after, you can be a young carer. To find out more from the Carers Trust about young carers and accessing support as a young carer, click here.

Looking after a someone who can’t care for themselves can be difficult. Even if you’re only doing it some of the time. But you don’t have to face it alone. Sometimes, being a young carer can get too much to deal with on your own, you’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed. Talk to your teacher, school nurse, college counsellor or GP if you’re having any of these feelings:

• feeling stressed by too much responsibility
• feeling physically tired
• feeling worried about your relative’s health
• struggling to cope with other people’s mood
• having no time for yourself or your homework
• missing school
• feeling embarrassed about your situation
• being bullied
• experiencing low self-esteem, anxiety, anger or guilt

Click here to find out more from Childline about ways to help you cope as a carer. Click here to find out more about getting help, including mental health support, as a young carer.

To find out about your rights as a young carer and your choices about caring, click here to visit the NHS website.

Across Sunderland and South Tyneside there is local support available for young carers and a number of services can help you and your family. Find out more below under the Sunderland and South Tyneside information section to find out about accessing support.