Young carers – advice for all
Young carers are children and young people who spend time looking after someone else – usually a family member who is mentally or physically ill or has some form of disability which means they need help.
Being a young carer forces the child or young person to take on much more responsibility than is normal for their age, and can cause a lot of worry and stress.
Manchester City Council offers advice for young carers on their websites at www.manchester.gov.uk and Help & Support Manchester
Impact on young people
Being a young carer can have a big impact when growing up:
- it can affect a young person’s health, social life and self-confidence
- many young carers struggle to juggle their education and caring which can cause pressure and stress
- in a survey, 39% said that nobody in their school was aware of their caring role
- 26% have been bullied at school because of their caring role
- 1 in 20 miss school because of their caring role.
Unfortunately, young carers frequently progress through life unidentified. Caring responsibilities can significantly impact upon a child’s health and development and many young carers experience:
- social isolation
- a low level of school attendance
- some educational difficulties
- impaired development of their identity and potential
- low self-esteem
- emotional and physical neglect
- conflict between loyalty to their family and their wish to have their own needs met.
