The Carers Recognition
and Services Act (1995) says that:
'A Young Carer is a child or young person under the age of eighteen
years old, who is carrying out significant tasks and assuming a level of responsibility
for another person, which would normally be taken by an adult.'This means that if you spend a lot of your time
looking after or helping someone in your family who is ill or has a disability, and
perhaps they have to rely on you to help with things around the home or to take care of
them by doing things that an adult would usually do, you are a Young Carer.
If sometimes you have to miss school or
college or have to miss out on having a social life like your friends because you are
looking after somebody, then you may be able to have an assessment.
What kind of things do Carers do?
Carers help the person they look after by doing things like:
- Washing
- Cleaning
- Cooking
- Shopping
- Interpreting (using sign language or another
language to help speak to Social Workers etc.)
- Looking after younger brothers and sisters
- Helping the person you look after to have a
bath or use the toilet or take medicine
Young people who have chores and jobs to do
in the home as part of a family responsibility for pocket money etc. are probably not Young
Carers. It is only if those tasks are more than would normally be asked for
according to your age and if you are finding some of the things you have to do hard. |
