Young Carers - Kent
A young carer is someone under 18
who helps look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled
or misuses drugs or alcohol.
There are about 700,000 young
carers in the UK, that’s about one in 12 secondary aged pupils.
What might a young
carer do?
- Practical tasks, such as
cooking, housework and shopping.
- Physical care, such as
helping someone out of bed.
- Emotional support, such as
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.
Being a young carer
can have a big impact on the things that are important to growing up
- It can affect a young
person’s health, social life and self-confidence.
- Many young carers struggle
to juggle their education and caring which can cause pressure and stress.
- In a survey, 39% said that
nobody in their school was aware of their caring role.
- 26% have been bullied at
school because of their caring role.
- 1 in 20 miss school because
of their caring role.
But young people can learn lots
of useful skills by being a young carer.
Young carer and
young adult carers in England have the right to information and to an
assessment of the support they need from the council.
The Carers Trust have written a
free guide which explains what those rights are. It also tells you what should
happen when you talk to the council about being a young carer or young adult
carer. Young carers and young adult carers gave us advice about what would
make this a great resource for them and their peers.
It is written for all young
carers and young adult carers, especially for those aged eight to twenty-five.
Where to find
support
There are many organisations which offer specialist advice and support for young carers, below are links to some of these:
The Children's Society has lots of advice and resources for young carers on its website.
LawStuff gives free legal information to young people. LawStuff is run by Coram Children’s Legal Centre, which provides more detailed information both over the phone and online.
The Office of the Children’s Commissioner has an advice and assistance line They can help with questions you have about your rights, welfare and safety. Email: advice.team@childrenscommissioner.gsi.gov.uk. Freephone: 0800 528 0731 open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (the phone number is free from a landline, but may cost from a mobile.)
NHS Choices has lots of information and advice on their website, including getting help from teachers, social workers and your doctor.
You can talk to someone on Childline who may be able to give you advice and get you help. They won't tell anyone that you have called. It is FREE and especially designed for children: 0800 11 11. They also have lots of really useful resources on their website including the Childline App.
The Childline App "For Me". For Me was named and designed to blend in with other apps on 
your phone. That means that if anyone else sees your screen, they won't realise it's a Childline app. It's also totally secure. You can lock it with a pin number and keep all your information safe. You can swipe through the pages to get the advice you want, can have a 1-1 chat with a counsellor and join the on-line community which is a place for you to share your experiences, have fun and talk about anything you want.
Kent Young Carers is a county wide service for young carers aged 5-18 Following assessment, KYC offer a range of short-term interventions including signposting, one-to-one support, in school support and workshops. They can be contacted on 0300 111 1110 or email info@kentyoungcarers.org.uk
.jpg)
