Young Carers | We Care You Care

Can we ask you...

Do you spend a lot of time helping someone close to you? Maybe a brother, sister, parent or grandparent?
Do you miss out on spending time with friends due to looking after somebody?
Do your family talk or confide in you when they have a problem or are feeling low?
Do you sometimes have to help a family member to get up, washed or dressed?
Do you do more household chores than other people your age? Perhaps you often shop, cook and clean for your family?
Do you spend a lot of time looking after a family member because of their illness, mental health, physical or learning disability or drug/ alcohol misuse?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be a young carer or young adult carer.

A young carer is...

Under 18 and supports someone who needs help eg. brother, sister, parent/ guardian

Someone that helps a family member at home who has a mental health issue, illness or disability (physical or learning) or misuse drugs or alcohol.

A child who gives up personal time to help support their family member.

What is it like to be a young carer?

There are lots of reasons why you might be finding things hard if you are a young carer. You might be worried about:

the health of the person you care for
your schoolwork or exams
money, finding a job or your future
not being able to meet and go out with friends
feeling you don't have any other choice
being emotionally abused by the family member you are caring for
having to look after brothers or sisters.

It can be really hard if you feel like you're not in control of your life. It can make you feel angry or sad and depressed.

And if you can't see your friends as much as you'd like, you can feel lonely and isolated.

What support is available locally?

The Junction Foundation

The Junction offers one-to-one support and a range of group, social, and learning activities for young carers.

Their services are friendly and confidential. And make a real difference to young carers and their families in Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland

Get in touch: Tel: 01642 75600, email- info@thejunctionfoundation.com or contact through Facebook- @TheJunctionFoundation

Next Steps

Next Steps Transitions Service, is run by The Junction and Carers Together. It support young carers aged 15- 25 years in their caring journey.

Telephone: 01642 756000 or 01642 488977 Text/WhatsApp: 07767117556 Monday to Friday 9-5pm

Email: info@carerstogether-rc.org.uk or info@thejunctionfoundation.co.uk

Visit their Facebook for the latest information, activities and events.

Other support

NHS 111 offers a mental health option that puts you in touch with a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) for advice. The team are trained mental health advisers. They can offer advice, suggest other services, and connect you with support.

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service helps children and young people with mental health problems.

Headstart South Tees helps school-aged children and young people in Middlesbrough who have mild emotional difficulties. Contact the team through Facebook, by asking in school or speaking with The Junction.

ACT (Accessing Change Together) Middlesbrough helps anyone who needs support with domestic abuse, homelessness, or substance use. People have different needs, so the support you get will depend on your circumstances. ACT brings different support services together to help you. This makes it easier to get the right help and means you don’t have to tell your story more than once. All the services you use can see the same information

If you need help but it's not urgent, email accessingchangetogether@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

If you need help urgently, call 01642 726800. You can also call us if you do not have an email address.

Recovery Connections provide a community focussed recovery service in Middlesbrough. The team understand the impact addiction can have on family and friends and can connect you to local and national support. Email: info@recoveryconnections.org.uk or call 01642 351976 for more information.

Kooth is a fantastic, free and confidential, online support tool for young people. Take a look at this video which explains what it is: