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Who is a young carer?
Young carers are children and young people who look after or help look after a family member or friend who has an illness, a disability, or is affected by a mental health condition or addiction.
The range and responsibilities of each young carer will be different but some young carers will take on caring tasks such as:
- helping a disabled brother or sister with eating, dressing or with therapies
- providing emotional support to a parent or guardian
- picking up prescriptions, doing the shopping or helping with cleaning for an adult
You can be a young carer at any age; some children will be providing care as young as aged 5. We often talk about ‘young adult carers’ when someone is aged 18-25 and providing unpaid care.
Young carers in Wales
There are around 22,250 known young people under 25 who are young carers or young adult carers. Of these, around 8,250 are under 18.
Many young people won’t recognise that they are young carers so it’s possible that there are even more young carers in Wales than we know about.
Young carers have rights
Support for young carers
There is a young carer support service in every area of Wales. If you’re a young carer, you have the right to ask for help to balance your caring and the things that matter to you, like spending time with your friends, taking a break and balancing your school and homelife.
A local young carer service can help you to get the support you need. Carers Trust works with a range of local carer organisations across Wales that provide support for young carers. These might include social groups, activities, supporting you to access the help you need at home, or support for you in school.
You can find your local Carers Trust service here
Carers Trust’s Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund may also be able to help you as a young carer.
In some areas, your young carer service might be run by your local authority or a different organisation. Your local authority will be able to direct you to that service. Contact Carers Trust Wales if you need support to find the right service in your area: wales@carers.org
You can find more information and support for young carers here
Young Carer ID cards
The YCID, or Young Carers ID card, is a simple card available across Wales to help professionals including doctors, teachers and pharmacists to recognise and support young carers.
The YCID will look different in different areas across Wales but every card will include the YCID logo.
You can access a YCID from your local authority or from your local young carer service.
Support for young carers in school and college
As a young carer you might need additional support in school or college to balance your caring and education.
Reach out to a trusted teacher or to your school or college’s Young Carer Lead, who may also be part of the Wellbeing Team. They should support you in school and put you in touch with any services that may help you in your community.
Diolch to the Carers Trust Wales Youth Council for developing this page