 | ||
A young carer is a young person who cares, unpaid for a friend or family member who has any type of illness, disability or addiction and cannot manage without the young carer's support. There are estimated to be around 700,000 young carers in the UK that's around 1 in every 12 teenagers and round 2 in every classroom. The roles taken on by a young carer are exhaustive and are carried out often behind clsed doors on top of the normal pressures of a young persons life. Responsibilities may range from providing practical support such as helping to cook, clean or wash, giving personal care, emotional support, providing medication or helping with financial chores.
The person they care for may be a parent, a sibling, another family member or a friend, but does not necessarily live in the same house as them. The care they give may be practical, physical, and emotional.
The terms "disability" and "long-term illness" do not mean just a physical disability or illness, but also cover, for example, mental illness, learning disability, or drug addiction, frailty or old age.
There are support programs to assist young carers both emotionally and financially with day-to-day tasks and making decisions. These programs offer face-to-face counselling, online programs, and phone helplines.