A young carer is a young person who

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, unpaid, for a person who has any type of physical or mental illness, physical and/or mental

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

or misuses substances such as alcohol or drugs. The age of a young carer varies between countries. For example, in Australia a young carer is a person under the age of 25 years old, while in the United Kingdom it is under 18.

The role of young carers

The roles taken on by a young carer are exhaustive and are carried out often behind closed doors on top of the normal pressures of a young persons life. The care they give may be practical, physical, and emotional. Responsibilities may range from providing practical support such as helping to cook, clean or wash, giving personal care,

emotional support Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. E ...

, providing

medication A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

or helping with financial chores.

Who young carers care for

The person they care for may be a parent, a partner, their own child, a sibling, another family member, a friend or someone who does not necessarily live in the same house as them.

Support for young carers

There are support programs to assist young carers both emotionally and financially with day-to-day tasks and making decisions. These programs offer face-to-face counselling, online programs, and phone helplines.

Australia

There are estimated to be around 272,000 young carers in Australia. Little Dreamers Australia is Australia's leading Young Carer organisation, and is an independent not-for-profit that supports Young Carers across Australia. Each Australian state and territory has a carer association that assists unpaid young carers and can be reached on 1800 242 636. The Young Carers Network is a national website that provides young carers with information on their local support services, helpful resources and a platform to share their story and opinions.

United Kingdom

According to the

Carers Trust The Carers Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom which supports carers. It works with a network of partner organisations to help carers with the challenges of their caring roles. History The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was created on the ...

, in 2016 there were around 700,000 young carers in the UK which is approximately 1 in every 12 teenagers and around 2 in every classroom. Some support programmes for young carers have been cut due to

austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...

. The amount of support young carers get varies from area to area and is subject to a

postcode lottery In the United Kingdom, the postcode lottery is the unequal provision of services such as healthcare, education and insurance prices depending on the geographic area or postcode. Postcodes can directly affect the services an area can obtain, such ...

.Being a young carer
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References

External links

*http://www.youngcarersnetwork.com.au/ - A place for young carers to learn about their local support services in Australia *https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/young-people/young-carers - Young Carers in the UK
Young Carers Research Group, Loughborough University, UK
*http://www.youngcarers.net/ - Young Carers Chat *http://www.ycptoronto.com/ - Young Carers Program in Canada
www.superhands.at
Support of Young Carers in Austria *https://www.young-carers.ch - Support of Young Carers in Switzerland *https://www.northamptonshire-carers.org/young-carers - Northamptonshire Young Carers, an example of a social group for Young Carers. {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Carer Health care occupations Caregiving