What is Young Carers Action Day (YCAD)?
YCAD is an annual event, organised by Carers Trust. It has taken place over the last six years to raise awareness of young carers and the incredible contribution they make to their families and local communities. Until now, YCAD stood for Young Carers Awareness Day. But following feedback from young carers, the Carers Trust have made some changes, including:
- The name has been changed to Young Carers Action Day and it’s now in March, not January. This year it’s March 16.
- Carers Trust have created a Steering Group of young/young adult carers, which aims to amplify the voice of young carers and put them right at the heart of planning for YCAD.
- Young adult carers, aged 18–25, are now included
Following conversations with young/young adult carers, Carers Trust have set the theme of YCAD 2021 as: Protect Young Carers’ Futures.
Who are young carers and what do they do?
For YCAD 2021, young carers told Carers Trust they wanted the day to be about their futures, highlighting the incredible skills they have developed through being a carer – like resilience, time-management and empathy. These are all important skills, not just for young people moving into higher education – but also for those looking to enter the workplace. What’s more, they are skills highly sought after by employers.
But, what is a young carer? Someone under 18 (or young adult carer under 25) who helps to look after someone in their family, a friend, who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol. Tasks they may complete include; practical tasks such as cooking or shopping, physical care such as helping someone out of bed, helping with medicine or communication or looking after their brothers and sister. 1 in 5 secondary school children have a caring role, this means there are 800,000 young carers in secondary schools across the country and 1 in 6 in every classroom.
Being a young carer can have a big impact on a young person’s life:
- Young carers are more likely to have anxiety/depression than other people their age
- 26% of young carers say they have been bullied because they are caring for someone and more than
- 80% of young carers felt that their caring role affected their opportunity to take part in leisure activities
However 80% of young carers may not be receiving the support they need from their local authority.
Remember to look after yourself
You can find helping someone very rewarding, but it’s also important to take time for yourself and look after your own wellbeing. There are lots of ways you can look after yourself but a few tips we wanted to share with you are:
- Ask for help if you need it. This can be through your doctor/GP, teachers, a counsellor or another trusted person.
- Talk to your trusted friends and family about how you are feeling as just talking through what we are thinking and feeling with someone we trust can help us to feel better.
- Take time out of your day for yourself by doing something for yourself, taking part in an activity or hobby and having fun.
It’s okay to ask for help
There are lots of reasons why you might be finding things difficult if you’re a young carer. It can be hard to talk to your friends about your situation. You might feel like they wouldn’t understand. Or you might be worried you’ll be letting your family down if you tell people you’re struggling. Just remember, you shouldn’t have to cope all on your own. And it’s okay to ask for help.
- If you’re struggling to do homework or concentrate in class, you should talk to a teacher at your school because your school may be able to put things in place to offer you the support you need.
- It’s also important to talk to your school if you’re being bullied. Bullying is not okay and it’s never your fault. Your school will have an anti-bullying policy. This means they have to do something to stop any bullying that’s happening.
- Social services are there to help families that are having a tough time. They’ll help you think about your options and ways to make life a little easier for you. You can contact social services by finding your local council. If you’re not sure how to do it (or you just want to find out more about what social services might be like) you can contact Childline.
There are lots of useful websites where you can find out more about being a young carer and access support:
- The Mix – Shares useful information through their website and also offers emotional support online and over the phone.
- Childline – Provides useful resources and offers support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year over the phone and online.
- Young Minds – Provide useful information and resources via their website. You can also access support via their Crisis messenger.
- The Carers Trust provide a useful website with help and advice available for carers
- You can also visit the mental health section of our website if you feel like you need support with your mental health to find out where you can get local support.
If you want to access local support there are organisation who can offer this to you and your family. This support usually includes; supporting you to have time to yourself, opportunities to meet new people and make new friends in similar situations to yourself, support groups, advice and information and family advice.
- Sunderland Carer’s Centre – Provides a wide range of support in the Sunderland area.
- South Tyneside Young Carers – Provides a wide range of support in South Tyneside.
- Carers Trust Tyne and Wear – Provides support around daybreak services, benefits advice and more in the Tyne and Wear area
