Young carers
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Who is a young carer?
A child or young person under the age 18 who provides regular and ongoing care and emotional support to a family member who is physically or mentally disabled or misuses substances.
Being a young carer can be very rewarding. Most tell us they are proud of the help and support they provide. But it can also impact on the things that are important to growing up. It can make it difficult for a child or young person to do well in education or training. Juggling education and caring can cause pressure and stress.
What does a young carer do?
Generally helping out around the house doesn’t mean someone is a young carer. They do much more, including:
- practical tasks, such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing, collecting prescriptions
- personal care, helping with bathing, dressing and help with taking medication
- emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed, helping someone to communicate
- looking after younger siblings
- managing the family budget
Some young carers undertake high levels of care and support whilst others carry out lower levels.
Support for young carers
The Early Help team have a duty to carry out a young carers' needs assessment. We complete this with the whole family. It gives us all an opportunity to talk about the responsibilities a child or young person has and the impact of their caring role. We can see if you have the right help and support from any statutory services, including adult social care, or if you need anything more.
The assessment also helps us to consider the range of other support services available to the young carers themselves.
Contact us by email to ask for an assessment.
We offer young carers an ID card after their young carers' assessment. We'll ask all children, young people and their families if they'd like to take part in the scheme.
The ID card is to help professionals, young carers champions, school nurses, schools, GPs, social care practitioners to recognise a child or young person as a young carer. This means they can provide the right help, keep them involved with decision making, and make sure they're valued and receive the support they deserve.
The cards hold the name of the young carer, an expiry date, and the contact number of the Walsall Young Carers Service.
The cards and supporting information has been co-produced and designed by the young carers themselves. The information pack is sent out to all Young Carer Champions across the partnership.
A Young Carers Champion is a member of staff or a team of staff with a special interest for supporting young carers.
The champion helps to keep young carers on agendas and distributes information to all staff within their service area.
As a Young Carers Champion, the staff member will:
- actively raise awareness about young carers within their service
- be the first point of contact for young carers who use their service
- be identifiable as a Young Carers Champion
- support and advocate for children and young people who do an amazing role caring for family members
- receive training and a certificate, which will identify them as a Young Carers Champion
They will also attend the Walsall Young Carers Action Group, who meet 4 times a year. They'll feed back on how the service is working with young carers, and help develop further the young carers support service in Walsall. It's a chance to make a real difference.
This support group provides an opportunity for young carers to take some time away from their responsibilities at home, meet other young carers, make friends and have fun!
Young carers can take part in activities such as:
- cooking
- arts and crafts
- young person-led projects
- music
- sport
- activities and trips
- group games
- discussions and consultations
- BBQs, discos, community feasts and family events
The group is well attended and valued by all the young carers who attend. It gives them space to relax and talk to people who understands what life is like for them. They can also talk confidentially to an Early Help practitioner.
The following organisations can help young carers:
- Childrens Society
- Young Minds
- Carers Trust
- Childline
- Barnardos
- Macmillian - a guide for young people looking after someone with cancer
If your child is currently supporting you with day to day activities and you feel your family would benefit from additional support, please contact adult social care.
We have set up a virtual support group where parents of young carers can come together, support each other, build networks and relax.
The group meet every 2 weeks, and is parent-led .
For more information, you can email us.
Young carer statistics
According to the Children's Society (2021), 27% of young carers aged 11-15 miss or have difficulties at school due to their caring responsibilities.
Their 2013 report, Hidden from View shows that 1 in 12 young carers spend more than 15 hours a week looking after a parent or sibling.
The Carers Trust carried out a survey in 2017 with young carers. Their findings included:
- 39% of young people who took part in a survey reported that their school were not aware of their caring role
- 1 in 20 said they missed school because of their caring responsibilities
- 26% said they have been bullied at school because of their caring role
There are also some good things about being a young carer. Many children and young people tell us:
- they had and have a sense of accomplishment
- they develop good independence skills
- they develop the ability to handle different situations, having the confidence to cope and take charge
“ As I was a young carer, I had to grow up fast. I was left to do everything by myself, but as a result, I am more mature for it. I knew how to pay bills and run the house by the time I was 8 years old. I was doing the weekly shopping and cooking everyone’s meals, every night, by the age of 10. I had been doing much of it since I was about 5 but full blown, just me on my own from about 10 years old “
Our young carers have developed many incredible skills through being a carer: time management, money management, resilience, and empathy. How many other children and young people have those skills set before starting a career?
Contact information
Before contacting us, please check to see if we can answer your question from our online information.
Address:
My Place
60 Walstead Road West, Walsall, WS5 4PE
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Available on demand Monday to Friday between 9am and 4:30pm
