Young Carers
There are many children and young people in Hampshire who are young carers. You may look after a parent who is ill, disabled, or who is addicted to drugs or alcohol or you may assist the rest of the family when your parent isn’t able to, or give up your time to help your parents look after a disabled brother or sister.
There is help available for you as a young carer. There are independent support groups – called young carer projects - in some areas of Hampshire which provide help, advice and information and also have club nights where you can meet other children and young people like yourself who are caring for someone in their family. Further information on these projects and related websites are available in the Hampshire section of the:
Young Carers Initiative website - projects in Hampshire
As a young person providing care to someone you love, you are entitled to have an assessment yourself to see whether any help can be given to you as a carer. As caring may be shared in a family, it is the right of any one of those carers to request their own assessment under the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 and the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. This includes you as a young carer.
An assessment may sound scary but if a social worker or health visitor or other professional visits your home to see the person you care for, talk to them first and tell them you would like an assessment of your own needs. They will then speak to the right people and arrange for an assessment to happen. You can take a friend or other family member or adult with you for moral support if you wish.
As a young carer you should always have your views taken into consideration when someone assesses the needs of the person you care for.
More information about the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) process can be found in the practitioner's section of HantsFish - the directory of children's services in Hampshire
If there are no professionals coming into your home, you can visit your local Children's Services department and ask to have an assessment as a Young Carer.