What are Young Carers?

A Young Carer is any person up to the age of 18 who has some form of caring responsibility at home. Young Carers usually provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis to a family member, or they may live in a household where caring has an impact on their life, for example if their parent/guardian spends a lot of time caring for somebody.
 
These situations mean that the Young Person takes on a level of responsibility that we would normally only expect of an adult. It can also mean that they are missing out on valuable time with their parent/guardian, because they are caring for another person. This is particularly the case for sibling carers (Young People who care for a brother or sister). Their parents/guardians need to spend more time looking after the child who has the illness or disability and therefore the Young Carer gets less attention. This situation can be heightened if the cared for has challenging behaviour, resulting in little time for anyone else.
 
Young People in caring roles, can have their lives significantly affected and can miss out on valuable childhood experiences. Statistics tell us there are 175,000 Young Carers in the UK. In Portsmouth alone there may be as many as 4,000 young people caring for a relative.
 
More Information for Young Carers