Our Leeds Young Carers Support Service is here to make sure children and young people who are providing care for a loved one are visible, valued and supported. Find out more about who is a young carer and what services and support are available in the Leeds area below
Who is a young carer?
A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 who looks after or helps to look after someone who has an illness, learning or physical disability, experiences mental ill health or has a difficulty with drugs or alcohol. It might be your mum or dad, grandparent, brother or sister or a close relative or friend.
A young carer usually takes on practical and/or emotional caring tasks that would normally be expected of an adult. This means doing things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, giving medication or just talking and helping when the person you care about is feeling sad.
Caring tasks can look very different, you might be doing different things than mentioned above, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a young carer.
How are young carers supported in Leeds?
Looking after someone can sometimes take up a lot of time and it can be very difficult to cope with everything. Going to school, meeting up with friends and doing the things you enjoy can sometimes be hard to fit in.
The first service or professional a young carer or family member speaks to about the care they are providing has the responsibility to explore this further and find out what the family feel they need.
Services in the area work with young people and their families to find out the best way to get support. It could be from a range of services including school or our Young Carers Support Service. In order to be able to understand you and your families situation better a professional may complete a tool called “A Day in the Life of….” with you or your loved one.
The important thing is that you and your family have been able to fully talk about what is happening for you, including what is going well, what you are finding difficult and get support with understanding which service is best placed to support you and how to access it.
What we do
Our Leeds Young Carers Support Service can help in three main ways.
Work directly with you and your family
If the type of care you are providing is impacting a lot on what you can do and how you feel, a referral to our service may be the right type of support to help find ways to reduce the level of care you provide and improve how you are feeling. A Young Carers Practitioner would complete a young carers needs assessment with you and your family and together we would agree an action plan.
Peer support
We run a monthly LEAP group which is a space for young carers to come together with others who have similar experiences, have a voice and an opportunity to influence issues affecting young carers.. We sometimes run additional groups for young carers too which focus on specific topics and provide opportunities to spend time with other children and young people who provide care for a loved one.
More help and information
Young Carers rights and resources
- The Booklet for Young Carers has been developed for young carers by young carers and covers topics such as looking after yourself, growing up as a carer and dreaming about your future.
- The Children’s Society works with children and young people and has lots of advice and resources for young carers on its website.
- Sidekick is a confidential helpline for young carers in the UK. You can text or email the service about anything that’s bothering you as a young carer. You’ll hear back from a friendly Sidekick coach, usually within 24 hours.
- The Mix provides support for young people aged 25 and under on things such as mental health, relationships and money. It has recently launched an online group chat for young carers/young adult carers which takes place on Friday evenings.
- Carers UK is the UK’s membership charity for carers of all ages offering advice, information and an online forum for carers over 18.
- See the booklet Know your Rights: Support for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers in England.
- LawStuff gives free legal information to young people in England. LawStuff is run by Coram Children’s Legal Centre, which provides more detailed information both over the phone and online.
Well-being and mental health
- The Mix provides support for young people aged 25 and under on things such as mental health, relationships and money. It has recently launched an online group chat for young carers/young adult carers which takes place on Friday evenings.
- Childline can help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. It offers advice, information and a counselling service. You can phone on Freephone 0800 1111, send an email, have a 1-2-1 chat, send a message to Ask Sam and post messages to the Childline message boards. Visit the website to find out more.
- Sidekick is a confidential helpline for young carers in the UK. You can text or email the service about anything that’s bothering you as a young carer. You’ll hear back from a friendly Sidekick coach, usually within 24 hours.
- Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They’re there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, wherever you live in the UK. You can call Samaritans on Freephone: 116 123, 24 hours a day, seven days a week or visit the website for more ways to get in touch
- Young Minds offers information about looking after yourself, coping with mental health issues, feelings, symptoms and conditions, wherever you live in the UK. Services include a free 24-hour crisis messenger if you are experiencing a mental health crisis and a Parents Helpline for parents across the UK. Find out more on the Young Minds’ website.
- Kooth provides free anonymous online support for young people. You can read articles written by young people, speak with a counsellor and access support from the Kooth community.
Getting into work
Getting into Work is a handbook for young adult carers in England who want to get into work. It will be particularly useful if you are looking for work for the first time, have been out of work for a while or if you are in work but looking for a new job.
Get in touch
For more information or if you have a question you can get in touch with us at the below.
Email [email protected]
Hollyshaw House,
2 Hollyshaw Lane,
Leeds
LS15 7BD
Open: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
