Frequently Asked Questions - Young Carers

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Frequently Asked Questions - Young Carers

Is there any help available for young carers?

Not all carers are adults. In many situations, carers can be the young children of those for whom they're caring. If you need any help or advice please get in touch with us using the contact details at the top of the page.

I need some information on mum's/dad's etc "problem".

The information concerning diseases and "conditions" can sometimes be quite confusing - and it often takes time to understand it all.

The best places to find out about these things are, either the NHS Direct 'Health Encyclopeadia' or the BBC Health web site

What is and what happens in a carers' assessment?

As the name suggests, a Carer's Assessment is carried out by Doncaster Council to find out what your needs are as a carer - and how the Council can help.

Broadly speaking, a Carer's Assessment will cover:

• your health • your requirements • your situation • services that are available and might be of assistance to you • services that are available and might be of assistance to the person you're caring for

Getting a Carer's Assessment is your right (under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000) and it's highly recommended that you exercise this right.
But, you don't have to have an assessment if you don't want to. It isn't required to make claims for benefits or other assistance but it can help you find out about help is available.

To arrange a Carer's Assessment, please contact:
Doncaster Council, P.O. Box 251, The Council House, College Road, Doncaster, DN1 3DA.
Telephone: (01302) 737391,
Fax: (01302) 736939,
Email:

Who can I turn to for support?

There are many support organisations available, the following links should help you find the exact group or organisation to meet your specific needs.

Carers UK - Offers free help to every Carer including children and young people
Barnardos - Doncaster Young Carers Project Work with children and young people who care for someone experiencing an illness or disability, including mental health issues. The cared for person is often a parent, sibling (sibling young carers), grandparent or someone very close to the family.
Children's Society - For young Carers, their families and those who work to support them across the UK
Connexions - A service for 13 to 19 year olds on education, training, employment, leisure activities and personal matters

Are young carers paid? What does it cost?

Money isn't far from most people's minds when they first become a carer , and that's only natural you or, indeed, the person you're caring for has had to give up work because of the change in circumstances, then the day-to-day realities of life mean you need some money; for existing bills and future costs.

If you need help with financial planning, your local Citizen's Advice Bureau may be able to help.

There are a wide variety of benefits, grants and allowances.

Please note, when applying for the majority of benefits and grants, special rules apply if the person you are caring for is suffering from a terminal illness. . If

What happens at school? Does my school need to know? Can I have get help with exams and homework?

It's vital that you talk to your school if you become a young carer. Either speak to a teacher you like and trust or, if they can, ask your parents to go in and see the head teacher.

At the end of the day, your school wants you to do well and they're going to do everything they can to help you. This might include extra help or allowances for homework, revision and exams. Everybody's case is different and to find out how the school can help, you need to talk to them.

I'm getting bullied - who can I talk to?

The NSPCC Child helpline allows you to look up all the information you will need.

Young Carers

A Young Carer is a person who helps look after someone who has a disability or illness. This may be a physical disability, learning disability like autism, health problems like depression or a drug or alcohol problem.

Young Carers help out in lots of different ways like doing the housework, getting the weekly shopping, keeping an eye on the person, helping them to wash and dress and cheering them up.

If you are a Young Carer then you are not alone. Recent research from The Children's Society estimates there are 175,000 Young Carers in the UK, and the numbers are growing
Young carers face serious caring responsibilities. In addition to the daily tasks they complete for their parents such as housework, cooking and bathing, they live with the added pressure of school and, often, a lack of understanding from schoolmates. The physical and emotional strain is sometimes too much - many skip school and suffer depression.