It can sometimes feel quite difficult being a young carer. But there might be more support out there for you then you realise. Your local authority has a duty to help all the young carers living in their area, so you could be entitled to some services that will make your life a little easier.
To decide what services you should get, the local authority has to find out what support you need. They do this through assessments. Every carer, whether a child or an adult, should be entitled to an assessment of their needs by the local council.
The type of assessment you will get depends on your age. We have comprehensive guides about each of the different types of assessment, to tell you everything you need to know.
Then you will likely be entitled to a young carer’s assessment. To find out more about these, take a look at our guide ‘Young carer’s assessments for under-18s’.
If you fall into this age bracket, then on top of the young carer’s assessment mentioned above you will also be entitled at some point during this period to an additional ‘transition assessment’. This is to help you manage the move from being a young carer to becoming an adult. To find out more about these, take a look at our guide ‘Transition assessments for young carers approaching 18’.
Even though you might still think of yourself as a young carer, in the eyes of the local authority you are an adult carer when you turn 18. You will therefore stop receiving ‘young carer’s assessments’ and move on to ‘carer’s assessments'. We discuss some of the differences in our guide ‘Moving on to carer's assessments when you turn 18’. Or if you want to find out everything you need to know about this type of assessment, then check out our more comprehensive discussion in our guide ‘Carer’s assessments.'
Online Help and Advice
Visit our online support section where we have provided advice and guidance on a range of relevant topics to help you in your caring role.