This video is reproduced from The Children's Society website.
*Are you a young carer?
Who is a young carer?
A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps to look after someone at home who needs extra support or care.
Who do young carers look after?
You might help to look after your mum, dad, brother, sister, grandparent or someone else who lives at home with you. The person you look after might have:
- A sensory impairment
- A long-term illness
- A physical or learning disability
- A drug or alcohol problem
- Mental ill health
What caring duties might a young carer have?
Each young carer and their family are different which means that each young carer's caring role is likely to be different. Some responsibilities might be:
- Helping around the house (for example, washing clothes, cleaning, washing up after dinner).
- Looking after brothers or sisters (for example, helping them to get ready for school, taking them to school or picking them up, keeping an eye on them at home).
- Helping with personal care (for example, washing the person you care for or helping them to get dressed).
- Helping with financial issues (for example, paying the bills, going to the bank).
- Interpreting or translating for the person you care for.
- Helping with medical issues (for example, going with the person you care for to appointments, helping them to take their medicine).
- Keeping someone safe and keeping them company.
You might not do many of these practical tasks, but you might do lots of worrying about someone at home. Sometimes, young carers can also feel like they are missing out on things that their friends are doing because they have to help to look after someone.
*This information is reproduced for information purposes from the Kingston Young Carers website
There are two organisations that support young carers in Kingston and Richmond and others that offer support and offer activities for siblings of children and young people with SEND.
Sibs@Express is a group for children who have a brother or sister with autism to come together, make new friends and have a space to share their feelings in an understanding and supportive environment.
National Groups
Sense Connect is a national project for children and adults with complex disabilities and their families. Siblings and Young Carers is a new online project aimed at supporting the wellbeing of young people with a caring role.
This project includes both age appropriate group sessions and one to one peer sessions where young people can share their experiences and interests with a fellow sibling or young carer.
The Siblings and Young Carers project is suitable for young people aged 5-18 who have a sibling or parent with complex communication needs.
Sibs exists to support people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister. They offer adult and young sibling support.