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Young Carers

Do you look after someone in Brent?

Do you look after your mum, dad, brother, sister, or other relative or friend? This may include helping out at home by cooking, cleaning or doing the shopping. Are they ill or do they have a disability or do they have another health-related problem?

Lots of children and young people want to help their family and feel proud that they are lending a hand. At the same time their responsibilities may cause problems at home, in school or college, or with their friends.

Sometimes it can be difficult to know when someone is a young carer, but there are thousands of young carers right here in Brent. We want to make sure that children and young people with caring responsibilities get support from all of the different adults in their lives. Being a carer means you have a right to help and support.

How can we help Young Carers?

• Support you and the person that you care for
• Listen to you
• Provide information and advice about the specific illness and/or disability the person you are looking after is living with
• Enable you to meet with other young people in similar situations to you, who understand how you feel and
• Give you the opportunity to take part in fun activities.

How we work with families

In Brent, partners from different agencies work together to help young carers. We meet with young carers and their families to discuss the needs of the whole family. This may take place at home, or over the phone.

Once we have made an assessment, we make a support plan to meet the needs of the family. Our priorities are to:

• Keep families together
• Reduce the amount of caring a young person has to do if it is too much for them
• Increase the young carer’s confidence to manage their situation
• Get support from the young carer’s school or college to help them do better at school
• Make sure the young carer gets regular breaks, and has time for friends and fun
• Ensure that the young carer has someone to talk to when things are difficult
• Check that the family is getting all of the support and financial benefits available to them
• Make sure the young carer is supported at times of change.

If you are under 18, we will need your parents’ consent.

Where to find support?

Brent Carers Centre is a charity that can help you with information about your rights and the issues you may face as a young carer. For support or information please contact them at:

https://www.brentcarerscentre.org.uk/young-carers/

Tel: 020 3802 7070