Young Carers

What is a young carer?

A young carer is someone under 18 who helps to look after a family member or friend who couldn’t manage without their support. If you’re between 18 and 25, you’re known as a young adult carer. In some cases, if you’re 16 or 17 you might also be considered a young adult carer.

The person you care for might have:

a long-term illness
a physical or learning disability
a mental health condition
problems with drugs or alcohol

You might help out with things like cooking, cleaning or getting them around. Or you might give emotional support, like listening when they’re upset, helping them feel less alone, or just being there when things are tough.

Being a young carer is a big responsibility, but you’re not alone. There’s help out there for you, and you deserve time and space to look after yourself as well.

If you’re under 25 and spend a lot of time looking after a parent, sibling, or someone close to you because they have a disability, mental health condition, or problems with drugs or alcohol, you’re a young carer or young adult carer.

If you’re not sure whether what you do counts as caring, ask yourself:

Do you worry a lot about the person you care for?
Does your caring role affect your school, college or work?
Does caring take time away from hobbies, sports, or seeing friends?
Do you ever feel isolated or different from other young people because of your caring responsibilities?

If you answered yes to one or more of these, you’re probably a young carer and you deserve support.

Find out how to get support

A young Black woman talking about something serious with an older Black woman in the park.

What does a young carer do?

Being a young carer looks different for everyone. You might not even think of yourself as a carer – maybe it just feels like you’re helping out at home. But if you’re regularly looking after or helping someone with a health condition, you’re probably a young carer.

Here are some tasks that young carers often do:

cook or prepare meals
help with the shopping
clean or tidy around the house
manage medicines or health appointments
manage money and finances
help someone move around or get out of the house
look after your siblings
give personal care, like helping someone get dressed or washed
offer emotional support, like listening when they’re upset or helping them feel less alone
keep an eye on things to make sure the person you care for is okay

Some young carers do a few of these things, while others do most of them every day. However much you help out, you deserve support.

Different experiences as a young carer

Every young carer’s situation is different. Your gender, background, culture, or whether you have a disability yourself can all shape your caring role and the kind of support you might need.

In some families or communities, there might be strong expectations around who provides care – for example, girls being expected to take on more responsibility, or pressure to keep things private rather than asking for help. These expectations can make it harder to talk about what you’re going through or to reach out for support.

If that feels familiar, remember you’re not alone. There are young carers from all sorts of backgrounds who face similar challenges. Talking to someone outside your family, like a teacher, GP, or specialist organisation, can really help.

No matter your background or situation, you deserve support.

Getting support as a young carer

As a young carer, you have rights – and you deserve support just as much as the person you look after. This includes the right to be assessed for help, to have your needs taken seriously, and to be involved in decisions that affect you. You don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable to ask for help.

If you want to understand your rights in more detail, take a look at Carer’s Trust Know Your Rights guide.

Here's how you can get support.

Carers' assessment

If you’re a carer, you can get an assessment to see what support you can be offered to help make your life easier. In England, for young carers under 18, this is called a young carer’s assessment. If you’re over 18, you’ll need an adult carer’s assessment.

The assessment is not about whether you’re doing a “good enough” job caring. It looks at how caring affects your life, including your education, social life, work and future plans. It’s a chance to:

Decide how much and what type of care you can realistically give.
See what support you and your family might need.
Make sure your voice is heard about your wishes and needs.

Based on your assessment, you may then be offered access to local young carer services, a support worker, financial support, and strategies to cope.

To get an assessment, you can ask a trusted adult to refer you, like a teacher, GP or parent. You can also ask for a referral yourself. Just contact your local council and ask to be connected to the social services department. Tell them you’re a carer and ask them to carry out a carer’s assessment for you. Some councils will also allow you to self-refer online.

Find your local council

Assessments in the rest of the UK

The term carer’s assessment is used in England, but the name and process are a bit different in other parts of the UK:

Scotland

Young carers get a Young Carer Statement, which sets out their needs and the support they should get.
Wales

Carers of any age get a Carer’s Needs Assessment.
Northern Ireland

You might get a Carer’s Assessment and Support Plan or a UNOCINI assessment (Understanding the Needs of Children in Northern Ireland).

Wherever you live, the purpose is the same – to understand your situation and make sure you get the support you need.

Support in other areas of your life

Caring can affect your family’s finances and create extra pressure. You might feel worried about money or about what people think if you ask for help. But needing support doesn’t mean you’re lazy or taking advantage – everyone deserves help when things are tough and there are options out there.

If you’re 16 or over and not in full-time education, you may be able to apply for Carer’s Allowance. This is financial support for people who care for someone at least 35 hours a week and get certain benefits.

There are lots of rules about who is eligible for Carer’s Allowance, but if you’re eligible it could really help. If you need support with applying for Carer’s Allowance, Citizen’s Advice have information that can help.

Find out more about Carer's Allowance

It’s a good idea to let your teachers know about your caring responsibilities at home. They can help you in lots of ways. You might be able to:

use the phone at breaks to check on the person you care for
get extra time for homework or assignments
join lunchtime or after-school homework or support groups
be offered flexibility on your attendance, lateness and detentions

Lots of schools also have a young carers champion. This is a teacher or another member of staff responsible for leading the support for young carers in the school. Your school may also have a young carers policy letting you know what support is available.

If your school doesn’t offer this support, you can ask if they can set something up or put you in touch with a local young carers service.

If you’re worried about your own health, or the health of the person you care for, speak to your GP. They can support you with your own health as well as organise more support at home to help you concentrate on other areas of your life.

School nurses, counsellors, and local mental health nurses can also offer advice and emotional support.

There are lots of organisations out there that can help young carers. If you need support, try any of these websites and helplines:

Carers Trust

Runs a network of local carer organisations in England, Scotland and Wales. They offer information, advice, practical support and/or care in the home to unpaid carers of all ages, including dedicated networks for young carers and young adult carers.

Carers Trust
Carers UK

Offers support to carers across the UK.

Runs an online forum for carers to get advice and share their experiences and feelings.

Opening times:

9am - 6pm, Monday - Friday

0808 808 7777

advice@carersuk.org

Carers UK
Citizens Advice

Provides information and advice on issues such as discrimination because of race and/or religion, benefits, work, universal credit, debt, housing and immigration.

Webchat service available.

Opening times:

9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday

0800 144 8848 (England)

0800 702 2020 (Wales)

Citizens Advice

Meeting other young carers can be a great way to make friends, have fun, and share your experiences with people in similar situations.

Young carers’ projects often offer evening clubs, weekends away and days out for groups of young carers so you can connect, relax and find common ground. Some can also provide help for you and your family.

The Children’s Society website can help you find a project local to you.

Find local young carers’ projects and services

A young Black woman in a wheelchair talking to a young Black man on a bench in the park. The woman is laughing while the man explains something.

My support workers have also helped me understand the importance of not only maintaining my physical and mental wellbeing, but also to take time for me.

How I found support as a young carer

Looking after yourself as a young carer

Being a young carer can have real positives – you might feel proud of the care you give and pick up useful skills like being organised, responsible, and good at handling tricky situations. But caring can also be tough. It can make school, seeing friends, or just having fun harder, and many young carers feel stressed, pressured, or isolated.

That’s why looking after your own mental health and wellbeing is just as important as looking after the person you care for. Here are some ways to take care of yourself:

Make time for yourself

Some days, just try to focus on yourself. Disconnect from social media or other pressures, and let people know you’re taking a bit of time for you. Even a few minutes to breathe, reflect, or relax can make a difference.
Get some fresh air

Getting outside can really help lift your mood and boost your energy levels. Try going for a short walk or doing a bit of exercise if you can.
Take small steps

You’ve got a lot of responsibilities as a carer, and that can get overwhelming. Try to focus only on what you can do today and break big worries or plans into smaller, manageable goals. It’s okay if you don’t tick everything off.
Connect with others

Don’t isolate yourself. Talk to friends, family, or other young carers. Sharing how you feel can make things feel less overwhelming and remind you that you’re not alone.
Ask for help

You don’t have to do everything on your own. Whether it’s family, teachers, or professional services, reaching out can help you get the support you need.
Look after your mental health

Caring can take a toll on your mental health. If you start to feel low, anxious, or exhausted, it’s important to reach out for help – you don’t have to wait until things feel unmanageable.

What if I’m ready to move out?

If you’ve been caring for someone for a long time, you might worry about what will happen when you move out, go to college, or start work. Feeling torn between your own future and your caring role is really common – especially if you’re used to putting other people first.

Planning ahead and talking about it early with your family, teachers, or a support worker can make things feel less overwhelming. You could start by:

sharing your plans so the person you care for can be part of the conversation
finding out what support they’ll have when you’re not around
setting boundaries around contact and checking in while you’re away

Remember, caring for someone doesn’t stop you from having your own goals. You can still support the person you care for while taking steps towards your own future.

A Black teenage boy wearing a hearing aid laughing with a white non-binary teenager outside the shops.

Don’t sacrifice your own mental health for somebody else’s. To be able to help somebody you love, you need to be able to feel well enough in yourself to give your all to the person you are looking after.

How to look after your mental health as a young carer

Get help now

Carers Trust

Runs a network of local carer organisations in England, Scotland and Wales. They offer information, advice, practical support and/or care in the home to unpaid carers of all ages, including dedicated networks for young carers and young adult carers.

Carers Trust
Carers UK

Offers support to carers across the UK.

Runs an online forum for carers to get advice and share their experiences and feelings.

Opening times:

9am - 6pm, Monday - Friday

0808 808 7777

advice@carersuk.org

Carers UK
Citizens Advice

Provides information and advice on issues such as discrimination because of race and/or religion, benefits, work, universal credit, debt, housing and immigration.

Webchat service available.

Opening times:

9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday

0800 144 8848 (England)

0800 702 2020 (Wales)

Citizens Advice

More information and advice

This page was reviewed in December 2025.

It was co-created by young people with lived experience as a young carer.

We will next review the page in 2028.

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