YOUNG CARERS
WHAT IS A YOUNG CARER?
A Young Carer is someone aged 5 to 17 who helps to look after someone in their family who is unwell, disabled, has a special educational need or disability or misuses drugs or alcohol. This may be a sibling, a parent or another family member. They may care for more than one person or even have a condition or SEND themselves.
Their caring responsibility will often be supporting a parent, sibling or another family member who has an impairment such as physical disability, mental health issues, substance misuse problems and / or other limiting conditions including terminal illness. This can impact on the young carer’s development, health, emotional and mental health and their life chances. Young carers are often isolated and encounter more barriers when trying to achieve positive things throughout their childhood.
WHO ARE CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS?
Cheshire Young Carers are an independent charity supporting some of the approximate 8,000 young carers across the whole of Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. They strive to reduce the impact on children who have caring roles, and help young carers have the same chances as other children their age.
All of Cheshire Young Carers’ services are free to young carers aged 6-18 years old and living in Cheshire.
WHAT SUPPORT DOES CHESHIRE YOUNG CARERS OFFER?
Cheshire Young Carers provide respite support all year round for young carers and during their most isolating periods such as school holiday periods, plus a number of other events/activities between these periods. The respite consists of day visits, local meetings packed with activities and residential experiences.
The Education Support Programme for young carers enables Cheshire East primary and secondary academies, schools to identify and support young carers aged 6 to 18 years old within education to improve their participation and achievement in education with tailored support.
Cheshire Young Carers also have experience in delivering one to one support, helping families to access better support and improve their home life where possible.
- For further information, including the respite programmes on offer, please visithttps://www.cheshireyoungcarers.org
