barnet young carers

Who are young carers?

Young carers are children or young people aged between 5 and 17 who provide regular care to a family member, or are affected by the needs of a relative they are living with.

 

These often include:

Illness

Mental health illness

Substance misuse

Physical disability

Learning disability

 

Young Carers often take on practical and / or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.  These can include:

  • Practical tasks – cooking, housework and shopping
  • Physical care – lifting or helping someone use the stairs
  • Personal care – dressing, washing, helping with toileting needs
  • Emotional support – listening, calming, being present
  • Managing the family budget, collecting benefits and prescriptions
  • Medication management
  • Looking after younger siblings
  • Helping someone communicate
invisibilty

Will there be Young Carers in every school?

It is likely that there will be many young carers at every school in England. The 2011 Census identified over 177,000 young carers in England and Wales, although this is widely believed to be the tip of the iceberg.  42% of young carers have said that nobody in their school was aware of their caring role (Sempik, J, Becker S, 2013).

 

The 2011 Census revealed that in Barnet there were just under 4,000 young carers. Today there are probably many more.  Barnet Young Carers currently has 800 young carers registered as members (2019).

RESOURCES

Download to support young carers in your school

We have resources for both secondary and primary schools including information booklets, posters and postcards.  These are available to download or order here.