Young Carers do extraordinary things. They deserve extraordinary moments, too.
A Young Carer is a child or young person who helps look after someone in their family because of illness, disability, a mental health condition or another support need. They're young people first, with their own friendships, hopes and ambitions. Here's what young caring involves, where to find support, and how the Young Carers Festival helps.
Need support right now? Find a Young Carers service near you.
Find local supportWhat is a Young Carer?
A Young Carer is someone under 18 who helps look after a family member or someone close to them, because of an illness, disability, mental health condition or another support need. Young adult carers, usually aged 16 to 25, can get support too.
Caring can look different in every home. Here are some of the things Young Carers do.
Practical care
Preparing meals, shopping or helping around the home.
Emotional support
Listening, reassuring or supporting someone through difficult days.
Personal care
Helping someone get dressed, move around or manage their daily routine.
Family responsibilities
Looking after siblings, going to appointments or helping organise family life.
Does any of this sound like you?
You might be a Young Carer. Find a service near you through Carers Trust.
Young Carers in numbers
Caring is more common than many people think, and it can affect school life. Not every Young Carer is counted, so the real numbers are likely higher.
120,000
children aged 5 to 17 in England said they provide unpaid care
Source: ONS, Census 2021 (21 March 2021)
23 days
average school absence for Young Carers in a year, compared with 14 for their peers
Source: Carers Trust, using Department for Education data for 2022 to 2023
46%
of Young Carers in secondary school in England were persistently absent
Source: Carers Trust analysis of Department for Education data, 2022 to 2023
You care for others. Support is there for you, too.
Young Carers groups are local services run for young people who look after someone at home. Here's what they can offer.
Advice
Someone to talk to
Activities
Time to do your thing
Friendship
Meet people who get it
School help
Support with school challenges
Find a Young Carers service near you
Carers Trust has a UK-wide network of local support organisations. Search by town or postcode.
Find local supportOpens the Carers Trust website.
YMCA Fairthorne Group is signposting to partner services. This page isn't a referral service, and we can't provide support for individual cases.
A weekend that's all about them.
YMCA Fairthorne Group runs the Young Carers Festival in partnership with The Children's Society. It's a full weekend of camping, music, activities and fairground fun, where Young Carers can make friends and take a break from caring.
For over 25 years, it's brought young people together with others who understand their lives.
Ages 11 to 17Full weekend camping25+ years
Discover the Young Carers Festival"It's the only place I feel I don't have to explain my life."
Young Carer, Young Carers Festival
Every Young Carer deserves the chance to be there.
We're aiming to raise £200,000 to make the Young Carers Festival free to attend, so no Young Carer misses out because of cost and groups no longer need to fundraise for places.
£140 sponsors one Young Carer to attend.
YMCA Fairthorne Group. Registered charity number 1090981.