Who is a Young Carer?

If you are under the age of 18 and you regularly provide emotional and/or practical care for a family member, you may be entitled to support from children’s services. For example, you can be given financial support or breaks from your caring responsibilities.

Young carers are defined as: “Children and young people (under 18) who provide or intend to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis”.

How do I get support?

There are three main pieces of legislation that set our your rights as a young carer:

• The Children Act 1989
• The Care Act 2014
• Health and Care Act 2022

If you require support, either you or your family can ask children’s services for a young carers’ needs assessment under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

The assessment will look at:

• How much and what type of care you are giving
• Whether the care you are giving is affecting your own health and well-being
• Whether any of your caring tasks are too much or whether it is not really right for you to be doing those types of tasks
• Whether support could be given directly to the person being cared for so you don’t need to

The wishes, feelings and aspirations of young carers and their families should be at the heart of a young carers’ needs assessment.

Useful organisations

Action for Children: Provides practical and emotional support to young carers.

Carer’s Trust: Community for young carers.

Barnardos: Supports young carer’s and their families with various services.

NHS: Advice for young carer’s from the NHS.