Who is a young carer?
A young carer is someone under the age of 18, who is supporting a person due to illness, addiction or disability. They may be living with that person or supporting a friend or grandparent.
How many young carers are there?
There are lots of young carers. Around 1 in 12 young people is a young carer. That means 2 young carers in every class in every school. We want to make sure every young carer has the right support from the right person at the right time.
In Lincolnshire, we are aware of over 3000 young carers but know there are likely to be lots we don’t know yet.
Caring role
Young carers might be supporting someone by helping with:
- Practical tasks, like cooking, housework and shopping
- Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed
- Emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed
- Personal care, such as helping someone dress
- Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions
- Helping to give medicine
- Helping someone communicate
- Looking after brothers and sisters
Every caring role is likely to look and feel different for every young person, even if they are caring for the same relation with the same condition.
If you are unsure if you or your child’s help fits into any of these activities, please talk to someone who is supporting you who can help to understand what support children are providing for their loved ones.
How it might feel to be a young carer
Some young people find their caring role positive and are proud of the support they give and the life skills they are learning.
- “I like seeing him happy”
- “It makes you feel closer to the person you’re helping”
- “If we are out and she panics, I try to calm her down. I try to get her to think about other things”.
Sometimes caring might also make you feel lonely, stressed, miss school or have little time for yourself.
- “Sometimes I feel bad that my dad doesn’t really have anyone and then I feel like I need to stay and be at home”
- “I really want to have my friends over, but I can’t”
- “I’m worried about leaving mum on her own and going to school as I don’t know if she’s ok”.