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Many young people help care for someone at home, such as a parent, sibling, grandparent, or other family member. You might assist with practical things, offer emotional support, or worry about someone’s well-being.
Being a young carer can look very different depending on your age. If you’re younger, you might help by keeping someone company, fetching things, or looking after a brother or sister. As you grow older, you may take on more responsibility – assisting with cooking, housework, emotional support, or worrying about what might happen when you’re not there. If this sounds like you, you might be a young carer, and support is available to help you balance caring, school, friendships, and being yourself.
No matter how caring looks for you, it can be a significant part of your life, and we’re here to support you in ways that suit your age, your situation, and what matters most to you.
You don’t need to do everything on your own, nor do you need to have all the answers. Staffordshire Together for Carers can help you understand whether you’re a young carer and what kind of support might be available.
Am I A Carer?
You might be a young carer if you are aged between 5 and 18 and often help to care for someone who:
Being a carer doesn’t always mean giving personal care. You might be:
You may not realise you’re a carer
Many young carers do not realise they are carers because what they do feels ‘normal’ in their family. However, if caring impacts your time, education, health, or feelings, it is vital that someone is aware of it and can offer support.
Transition To Adult Services
Turning 18 can bring many changes, and if you’re a young carer, it may lead to new questions or concerns about college or work, finances, benefits, consent, or what happens to the support you’ve been receiving. We won’t simply step back at this point. We’ll work with you to plan your transition into adult carer support in a way that feels right for you, helping you understand your options and ensuring your caring role is recognised. If you continue to care, we’ll support you to access the appropriate adult services; if your circumstances change, we’ll help you explore what support you still need as you move forward with your own goals and independence.
Many young carers do not realise they are a carer because what they do feels normal in their family. However, if caring impacts your time, education, health, or feelings, it is vital that someone is aware of it and can offer you support.
Young Carers Assessments
If you help look after someone at home, you may be entitled to support through a Young Carers Assessment.
In Staffordshire, Young Carers Assessments are carried out by Staffordshire County Council. Don’t worry, this isn’t about judging you or checking how well you’re caring for someone. It’s simply a chance to talk about what life is like for you and what might help make things easier.
What is a Young Carers Assessment?
It’s a friendly conversation where you can:
You don’t have to do it on your own; your family can be involved too, if you want.
What support could I get?
After a Young Carers Assessment, you might get:
What happens next?
If you agree, your details will be shared with Staffordshire Together for Carers, who can help put support in place to make things easier for you.
How to get in touch?
Professionals (e.g., schools, GPs, social workers) can access a referral form for young carers here.
You don’t have to wait until things feel really hard; support is there to help you stay well and keep doing what matters to you.
Counselling and Wellbeing Support
Caring for someone can bring up lots of different feelings, and all of them are okay. You might feel sad, angry, frustrated, guilty, or even resentful at times, especially when caring takes up a lot of your energy or impacts other areas of your life. Many young carers share these feelings, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. However, if caring begins to feel overwhelming or weighs heavily on you, it can start to affect your mental health. That’s why it’s very important to speak to someone and ask for support. You also deserve kindness and understanding. That’s why it’s really important to talk to someone and seek support — you also deserve care and understanding.
If you need someone to talk to, we can connect you with organisations such as Kooth, Yess and Changes, that are really good at listening. Sometimes just talking things through can help you feel less isolated.
Take A Break
Being a young carer can take up a lot of your time and energy, which is why making time for yourself really matters. Wanting a break doesn’t make you selfish; it’s part of looking after yourself. Everyone needs time to relax, enjoy their interests, and just have fun, and you deserve that too.
We can help you find groups and activities where you can take some time out. This might be something especially for young carers, where you can meet other young people who understand what caring is like, or it could be something completely different that helps you switch off and enjoy yourself.
If you’re worried about what will happen at home while you’re out, how much things cost, or how you’ll get there, you don’t have to work that out on your own. We can help you think through these things and find options that work for you and your family.
Connect With Other Young Carers
Being a young carer can sometimes feel lonely, especially if those around you don’t truly understand what life at home involves. Meeting other young carers can help you realise you’re not alone and that others your age understand your experiences.
We can help you connect with groups or activities where you can meet other young carers, share experiences, and simply be yourself. This might involve groups, enjoyable activities, or creative sessions where caring isn’t always the main focus. Many young carers say it helps to talk or just spend time with people who understand, without needing to explain.
There’s no pressure to join in immediately or to share anything you’re not comfortable with. You can go at your own pace, make new friends, build confidence, and develop new skills in a space where you’re accepted for who you are.
Emergency Planning
If you’re a young carer, there may be times when you cannot provide care for the person you usually support, such as when you’re at school, unwell yourself, away from home, or if something unexpected happens.
Making an Emergency Plan
An emergency plan (sometimes called a contingency plan) is a simple way to ensure everyone knows what to do if there’s a problem. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but having a plan in place can help you feel safer and less alone.
What Is An Emergency Plan?
An emergency plan is a short, written document that explains:
It’s there to ensure the right people understand what to do, so you don’t have to manage everything yourself in a stressful situation.
What Should Be Included?
An emergency plan should include:
We can help you consider what’s important for your situation; there’s no one‑size‑fits‑all plan.
How We Can Help
You don’t need to create an emergency plan on your own. We can:
Contact us here if you’d like support.
Remember, having an emergency plan doesn’t mean something bad is going to happen. It simply means you’re prepared and that you have people around you who know how to help.
Get Support At School Or College
You might not want people at school to know that you’re a young carer, and that’s completely understandable. However, if your school doesn’t know what’s happening at home, it can be difficult for teachers to understand if you arrive late, miss lessons, struggle with your work, or find homework challenging sometimes.
If talking to a teacher or someone at school feels awkward or too difficult, you don’t have to do it alone. You can ask a parent, carer, or another trusted adult to inform the school on your behalf, for example, by writing to your form tutor or head of year.
When schools understand that you’re a young carer, there are many ways they can support you, such as:
If caring is affecting your time at school, your learning, or how you’re feeling, you don’t have to handle it alone. Contact us, as we’re here to help you find the right support.
Young Carers’ Voice
Your views matter, and you deserve to be listened to. We’ll support you to speak up about what’s important to you, whether that’s how caring affects your day-to-day life, the support you need right now, or things you’d like to change for the future.
This could mean helping you communicate your views with professionals, schools, or services, or simply offering you a safe space to talk and be heard. You can also choose to get involved in shaping our services by sharing ideas, giving feedback, or helping us understand what works well (and what doesn’t) for young carers like you.
There’s no pressure to take part in anything you’re uncomfortable with. You choose how much to say and how involved you want to be, and we’ll ensure your voice is respected.
Advocacy is about standing up for your rights and ensuring your voice is heard
WellbeingWe offer a range of services to help you take control of your health and well-being
CounsellingWe provide therapeutic support, helping individuals overcome their difficulties
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