Young Carers Awareness Day 2020

Today is young carers awareness day. A shout out to all the under 18 year olds looking after family members or friends. 1 in 5 children or young people are carers in the UK. The carers trust help raise the public awareness of the challenges faced by young people in a caring role. Although for many carers, it can be positive and rewarding, there are lots of reasons why caring can also leave them needing support. Some youngsters don’t even realise they are a carer and subsequently don’t know what support is out there for them. They can find it hard to go to school or college or keep up with course work. They can be bullied and find it difficult to make or keep friends. They can take on responsibilities well beyond their years and have little time for play or socialising or to be children or young people. Caring can make them physically exhausted – they may have to get up several times in the night as well as caring throughout the day, juggling academic studies with life at home. It can leave the carer emotionally & physically which can lead to stress, depression and serious impact on their mental health. 

Through the Count Me In! campaign Carers Trust is calling on compulsory education providers to do more to proactively to identify young carers and to ensure that they receive the recognition and support they deserve. How you can help – visit their page for advice on who you can contact along with directing carers to the right resources for their mental health and wellbeing & practical advice on what benefits they could be entitled to. #CountMeIn #YoungCarersAwarenessDay

https://carers.org/young-carers-awareness-day-2020