Celebrate Young Carers Action Day

The Carers Support Center says, “Young Carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. The tasks undertaken can vary according to the nature of the illness or disability, the level and frequency of need for care and the structure of the family as a whole.

“Some young carers may undertake high levels of care, whereas for others it may be frequent low levels of care. Either can impact heavily on a child or young person.”

See what the Carers Support Center has for local Young Carers.

There are social groups where you can find young people like you.

You may feel that you are the only one of your friends choosing between caring or going out, swaping studying for caring, sacrificing a hobby to look after a family member and the house, or scheduling your day around phone calls to check in, and doing errands.

It’s good to be around other people who can understand where you are coming from and can be a lot of fun too.

You can also get advice from them and other young people’s experiences on how to go onto further education like studying remotely and finding University’s with support for carers.

The SEND Local Offer has loads of great ideas for things you can get involved in locally, help to study and train, local links to support and more. Updates for young carers go on the Local Offer.

Many young carers look after brothers or sisters with SEND.

You might like to help them use the website to learn about fun things they can get involved in too. There is Grimsby Town Ability Counts football club for children and young people with SEND, successful befriending programmes like Gravity Red, lots of activities for fun at home, and more.

Check out the Children and Young People’s page to get started.

Everyone needs a boost every now and then, or help to problem solve their way through a rough patch.

It’s important to get the right support if you need it.

There’s lots out there to support your emotional wellbeing and mental health. Assist yourself with all the tools and information you need to help you make decisions that are right for you in your personal life, at school, with your health, and as you move independetly into adulthood.

Kooth is a great tool for self-care and mental health support. Kooth is accessible 24/7 365 days of the year and provides access to quality counselling from BACP or UKCP accredited counselling professionals via a text-based format from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays, and 6pm-10pm on weekends, providing a much needed ‘out of hours’ service. Kooth is commissioned by North East Lincolnshire Council to provide support for young people aged 11- 25, who live in the area. Kooth is not a replacement for any in person support for a young person; rather it is an additional means of accessing further support.

You can find loads of different tools on this self-help menu.

School nursing- You can use the school nursing text service for support, even during school holidays during normal working days. Confidential and anonymous support for young people (11-19 years old) weekdays 9 to 5pm. Text 07507 331620.

Young Minds Matter, NEL’s CAMHS: 01472 626100, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Out of hours – 01472 256256 option 3.