Young Carers - Learners Page
Are you Young Carer?
A Definition of a Young Carer
You are a young carer if you are under 18 and help look after someone who has a long-term physical illness, a mental health condition, or problems with drugs or alcohol.
This help is unpaid and can be physical, emotional, or both. Sometimes, the person you care for might not be able to manage without your support.
Being a young carer often means having extra responsibilities at home that other children your age might not have.
This can include:
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Giving emotional support to someone in your family, such as a parent who feels very low or depressed
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Helping to calm a brother or sister when they are upset, listening to their worries, and keeping them company
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Coping with a parent’s anxiety, mood swings, or unusual behaviour caused by a mental health problem
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Doing extra jobs at home, like laundry, cleaning, making breakfast every day, hoovering, or watching over family members
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Helping to fill in forms or manage bills and budgets
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Going with family members to doctors’ or hospital appointments
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Helping them get ready, checking they are okay, and reassuring them
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Translating for someone if English isn’t their first language, or if they have speech, hearing, or communication difficulties
All of this can happen while you are also trying to keep up with schoolwork, homework, and spending time with friends.
You’re Not Alone
Being a young carer can make school and learning much harder. There are many young people your age who help care for someone at home, and you are not alone.
Research shows that around two in every ten young people aged 11–17 in England have some kind of caring role. Many young carers miss school or find it hard to keep up with lessons because of the responsibilities they have at home.
About half of young carers say that caring makes learning harder. You might feel tired in lessons because you help someone late at night or early in the morning. You might feel like you have too much responsibility, feel guilty about things you can’t fix, or feel anxious, stressed, or lonely because of your caring role.
Some young carers leave school with lower grades, and some are bullied because of their caring role. This can make school feel overwhelming and unfair.
At Orchard Training, we know that some learners leave school without qualifications because caring becomes too much. If this has happened to you, it is not your fault.
Our aim, along with Surrey Young Carers, is to support you and help remove barriers to your learning. We want to help you find a way forward, build confidence, and make sure your caring role does not stop you from reaching your future goals.
Support Available
With the right support, being a young carer can also have positives, and many young carers feel proud of the help they give. You are not expected to manage everything on your own. Support is available from Surrey Young Carers. They work with young people aged 5 to 18 who care for someone at home and help support their families. They also create chances for young carers to meet others who are in similar situations, so you don’t feel alone.
You can watch the video linked below to learn more about what it means to be a young carer. The video was made for a primary school assembly, but it is still useful and easy to understand. It explains what being a young carer means for children under 12.
In the video, they talk about a Young Carer Leader.
At Orchard Training, that would be me. If you ever need to talk, you know how to contact me. You don’t have to wait until your next lesson if something feels urgent.
Where to get further support:
Email: syc@actionforcarers.org.uk
Website: surrey-youngcarers.org.uk
Telephone: 01483 568269
SYC also has a service for Young Adult Carers (YACs) aged 18-24 and they can be contacted on 01483 568269.
You can find further help from
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your local GP
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Childline
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Telephone: 0800 1111
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or visit their website: childline.org.uk
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Surrey Family Information Service
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Telephone: 0300 200 1004
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Email: surrey.fis@surreycc.gov.uk
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Every year, I ask for volunteers to train for a charity bike ride as part of our PE learning. We do this to raise money for Action for Carers (Surrey), which also supports Surrey Young Carers. The money we raise helps young carers and their families.
Sometimes, because of the challenges of home education, we can’t always get a group together. But I will still ask each year, and if this is something you would like to try, please put your name forward and get involved.
Declaration of Interest
Orchard Training’s charity of choice is Action for Cares (Surrey) because I was a trustee for this charity and I am still a carer. I also know many of you are Young Carers.