Young carers
A young carer is a person under 18 who helps care for someone in their family or household.
They may care for a parent, brother, sister or another family member who has:
- a long-term illness or medical condition
- a disability
- mental health needs
- problems with substance misuse
Caring can affect a young person’s health, wellbeing, friendships, education and future plans. It is important to identify young carers early so they can get the right support.
People aged 18 to 25 are often called young adult carers. They may need different types of support.
How caring can affect young people
Every young carer’s experience is different. Siblings in the same family may feel differently about their caring role and the support they need.
A young person may become more vulnerable if their caring role becomes too much for them. This can happen when the type of care, or the amount of care, is not appropriate for their age.
This can affect their:
- emotional wellbeing
- physical health
- school attendance and learning
- friendships and social life
- future choices and opportunities
Strengths young carers may develop
Some young carers say their caring role helps them build important strengths and skills.
These can include:
- resilience, maturity and a strong sense of pride
- practical life skills and personal drive
- empathy and understanding of other people’s needs
- close family relationships
- friendships with other young carers
- specialist knowledge gained through lived experience
- ideas for future careers or adult life
Challenges young carers may face
Young carers can also face challenges that affect their everyday life.
These can include:
- missing school or finding it hard to concentrate
- lower educational attainment
- feeling isolated or different from friends
- missing out on childhood experiences
- feeling guilt, resentment or pressure to keep “family secrets”
- physical strain or health problems
- stress linked to living in a low-income household
- difficulty moving into independent adulthood or higher education
Being a young carer is not a fixed label. A young person’s caring role, needs and feelings can change over time.