Young carers
Young carers
Do you worry about someone in your family due to one or more of the following:
- disability
- long term illness
- mental health
- alcohol or drug misuse
- gambling
Do you worry about leaving a family member alone, or what might happen if you can’t look after them?
Do you take on responsibilities at home and miss out on doing things after school and on the weekends because you need to look after a family member?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may be a young carer and can get support to help you.
You can get support from:
- school - speak to a teacher if you think you may be a young carer, they can give you additional support and understanding. Some schools have lunchtime drop-in sessions for young carers. Schools in York can contact York Carers Centre to discuss better identification and support of pupils who are young carers
- York Carers Centre - provides a youth club, trips and one to one support for young carers
- Young Carers Cards - York Carers Centre can provide cards to help you
- Young Carers Card allows you to let teachers know that you might need additional support and understanding as a result of your caring role
- Carers Discount Card can be used for discounts at a range of shops and cafés in York
- Carers Emergency Card if you support someone who is over the age of 18 and you are worried about what will happen to the person you care for, if something happens to you, such as illness or another emergency
- The Children's Society - provides information and support for young carers
- Carers Trust - a tool for accessing young carers support and links to useful information
In addition, you can search for support and services online. We have a database of hundreds of local and national support services who can support young people and young carers.
If you can't find what you are looking for please contact the Young People's Information Service.
