Checklist for Young Carers

To help us listen and understand how things are for you and think about how best we can support you.

Your name
Your d.o.b.
Name of person completing this checklist with you and their job role
Date
Who do you look after?
Do you look after them; / Never / Sometimes / A lot
1. /
  • Before school?

2. /
  • After school?

3. /
  • Evenings?

4. /
  • Weekends?

5. /
  • School holidays?

What care tasks are you doing – please answer as best you can...

Personal care:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
6. / Interpret, sign, communicate in English for the person you look after
7. / Help them dress or undress
8. / Help them wash, bath or shower
9. / Read to them / Listen to them
10. / Look after them at night (getting up in the night, being on call, listening out)

Physical care:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
11. / Shopping (however big or small)
12. / Help with lifting or carrying heavy things
13. / Help with lifting the person you look after
14. / Help the person you look after get out of the house e.g take them for a walk / to the shops/to see friends
15. / Help them if they have fallen over

Practical care:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
16. / Cleaning
17. / Washing up
18. / Clearing up and tidying
19. / Laundry
20. / Online shopping (including taking deliveries)
21. / Working part time
22. / Giving medication
23. / Cooking meals
24. / Preparing drinks and snacks
25. / Talking to others about medication and other needs of the person you look after
26. / Helping with money and / or budgeting in the home
27. / Knowing what to do and / or helping in an emergency

Caring for sibling(s) to help out the person you look after:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
28. / Cooking meals for sibling
29. / Getting drinks/snacks for sibling
30. / Taking siblings to school / picking them up
31. / Looking after siblings at home (either alone or with adults nearby)
32. / Help siblings getting ready for school / getting ready for bed
33. / Help siblings getting ready for bed
34. / Take sibling out

Emotional care:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
35. / Comfort the person you look after
36. / Help to calm them down
37. / Sit with them to keep them company
38. / Look out all the time to see how they are and whether they are upset or things are changing or getting worse
39. / Keeping cared for safe (keeping drugs and drink out of reach)
40. / Help them if they haven’t kept safe
41. / Stop them harming or hurting themselves

Impact on me:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
42. / Because I look after someone I feel stressed / anxious / upset
43. / Because I look after someone I feel like I’m missing out
44. / Because of looking after someone I don’t think I matter
45. / Because of looking after someone I find it hard to make and keep friends
46. / Because of looking after someone I find it hard to sleep
47. / Because of looking after someone I don’t have time to relax
48. / Because of looking after someone I don’t have much free time
49. / Because of looking after someone I feel lonely
50. / Because of looking after someone I don’t feel well physically
51. / Because of looking after someone I don’t feel well emotionally
52. / Because of looking after someone I worry about not being well when I get older, either physically or emotionally

Impact on school:

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
53. / Because of looking after someone I am late for school?
54. / Because of looking after someone I miss days of school?
55. / Because of looking after someone I have trouble concentrating in school?
56. / Because of looking after someone I struggle getting homework done?
57. / Because of looking after someone I miss out on after school clubs that I’d like to go to?
58. / Because of looking after someone I feel tired at school?
59. / Because of looking after someone I feel anxious or worried at school?

Is there anything else you do that isn’t mentioned in this checklist?

/ Never / Sometimes / A Lot
60.
61.
62.
63.

Please add any information here that you feel may be useful;

and thank you....

The Young Carers Team at The Carers Centre would like to offer;

-someone to talk to who understands the good and hard bits of looking after someone

- someone for the person you look after to talk to

- the chance to meet up with other young carers

- the chance to have a break from caring and relax and have some fun

- someone to talk on your behalf and explain what you need

-someone to talk on behalf of the person you look after and explain what they need

-the chance to have a voice and say what you think is needed in Brighton & Hove

- the chance to see specialist people who offer you support; nurses, counselling, life coaching, back care support etc

- the chance to try out activities and sports

- opportunities to think about how to cope well and look after yourself as well as the person you look after

- we talk to schools about what they can do to understand and support young carers and help them to put this in place