Being a young carer can have a big impact on the things that are important to growing up. It can affect a young person’s health, social life and self-confidence. Many young carers struggle to juggle their education and caring, which can cause pressure and stress. But with support, many young carers can thrive and continue to pursue their goals. Michelle, 16, is a young carer who looks after her mum, Julie, who has epilepsy.
Michelle tells us that the hardest part of being a young carer is getting to know new people and missing out on things that other teenagers get to do. However, since attending young carer activities with Carers First, her confidence has increased and she now believes in herself more, which has helped Michelle when thinking about her career options.
Like many young carers, Michelle didn’t recognise her caring role. She didn’t know she was a young carer until she had a conversation with a social worker who was supporting the family with arranging a care package for her mum.
Michelle says: “The social worker explained to me that I was a young carer, before that I didn’t realise that what I was doing was caring.”
Michelle’s social worker spoke to her school who then referred her to Carers First for support as a young carer. Since Michelle was struggling with her confidence and speaking to people her own age about what she was going through, it was vital that the support she received could help to improve her confidence and self-esteem and enable her to have time out for herself. The young carer activities have been particularly useful for helping Michelle to thrive in her role as a carer, whilst providing the opportunity to be a teenager and wind down.
During the day, Michelle’s mum Julie has care workers coming in to support her while Michelle is at school, with Michelle supporting her mum as soon as she gets home.
“Even though my mum has support during the day I still spend a lot of time worrying about her when I’m not there.
When I get home from school I help with housework and making dinner if mum isn’t up to it. I feel like I sometimes miss out on things that other teenagers get to do because of my caring role for mum.”
Michelle really enjoys meeting other young carers like her, as she feels that most people her age don’t understand what a young carer is or what it’s like with a lot of common misconceptions around being a young carer. Before reaching out to Carers First, Michelle felt as though she was alone.
Since being in contact with Carers First last year, Michelle has been able to have time out from caring and get the opportunity to be a teenager. Michelle says:
“My confidence has massively improved, and I feel more comfortable talking to new people now. I believe in myself more and feel empowered to share more about what it’s like to be a young carer. This is a result of being involved with Carers First and their activities.”
Michelle is now an active member of our young carers community and is comforted by the fact that she’s never alone. She knows that somebody is on the other side of the phone to support her when things can get a little tough and knows she can attend our activities to chat and socialise with others which helps her to wind down.
Michelle, who has also been supported by Carers First to receive a £300 grant from the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust to help purchase a laptop so that Michelle can better revise for her GCSE’s and access courses we have available for Young Adult Carers, wants other young carers out there to know that support is available to them:
“Be positive, remember you’re not alone and get involved with Carers First to find out what activities they have. They have helped me to build my confidence up and they could help you too.”
If you are a young carer and would like to know more about how Carers First can support you, visit our young carers page on our website or call us on 0300 303 1555 today to find out how we can help you.
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.