Carers
Young Carers
Are you a young person under 18 who looks after or helps to look after a parent, family member, sibling, friend or neighbour because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction? If you do, and if this person couldn’t cope without your support, you are a Young Carer.
A Carer is anyone, child or adult, who looks after one or more family members, partners or friends who needs help and couldn’t manage without the Carer. The care given by the Carer is unpaid or informal.
You are not alone – here you can find out what help is out there when you need it.
Help is here
Supporting you as a Young Carer
In North East Lincolnshire (NEL) the following are here to work with and support you in your caring role:
There is help available from teachers and other school staff, teachers are there to help pupils get the most out of school. You can speak to somebody at school, a teacher or a member of your pastoral team if you need support.
- The Young Carers Project 01472 323231 or 326294 option 3 then option 2
- Young Minds Matter 01472 252570
- Family Hubs – Family hubs bring together services to offer help and support to young people and their families
- The Carers’ Support Service – 01472 242277
The Young Carers Project is based at the Carers’ Support Service and works with both Young Carers and their families. The service seeks to reduce the caring role by involving other relevant services and enabling the family to find better solutions. Where caring continues, the service aims to reduce the impact of caring on young people by providing:
- The opportunity to have a Young Carer’s Assessment
- Information and advice
- Informal advocacy
- One to one and family support
- Group support
- Time out from the caring role, including a range of activities and events
- The Carer’s Support Service can provide Young Carers with information and advice about useful resources and help connect them with other local support services. The Carers’ Support Service works closely with the North East Lincolnshire Young Carers project and can make a referral into the project on a Young Carer’s behalf.
- Young adult Carers aged 18+ can also access specialist advice services through the Carers’ Support Service for information on benefits that they may be eligible for, such as employment support allowance, and support them to apply.
- The Carers’ Support Service and the Young Carers project work within education settings to raise awareness, identification and support of Young Carers, as Young Carers are often a hidden carer group.
For more information visit Live Well NELC Young Carers .
Adult Carers
A carer is someone of any age who looks after a child, relative, partner, friend or neighbour in need of care or support because they have an illness, disability, frailty or a substance misuse problem. The care and support carers provide may be personal, practical, emotional or supervisory and is unpaid.
Caring for someone under the age of 18 (Parent carers)
Parent carers are parents of children with a disability or special additional need, who as well as providing a parental role also provide a caring role to their child. There are a range of support services available for parent carers including services provided by the Carers Centre, specialist Parent Carers Worker and Children and Family services.
Carers caring for someone over the age of 18
There are a range of other options available to support carers who care for someone over the age of 18 based on their needs identified during their carers assessment, and may include:
- Direct Payments
- Carers Short Breaks
- Respite for the cared for person to give the carer a break
- Day Care for the cared for person to give the carer a break
If you would like to register yourself as a Carer, would like an assessment or further information please contact the Carers Team on 01472 629162.