Aged 16-25 and help look after someone at home?
Can the person you look after manage without your help? If not, you may be a carer.
are you a young adult carer?
Many carers don’t realise that they are carers, they often think that they are just looking after family or a friend, it’s what they should do or is expected of them.
If you are not sure whether you are a carer ask yourself:
- Do I do extra jobs because the person I live with is having difficulty doing them?
- Do I worry about this person when I’m away and feel responsible when they need support?
- If this person is having a bad day due to care needs, do I stay home to be with them?
How we support young adult carers
Assessments, support plans & reviews
To make sure you get the right support as a young adult carer, we’ll start with an assessment but don’t worry, it’s not a test! It’s simply a conversation to help us understand your experience as a carer and explore the support that could make a difference for you. We put this together in a support plan for you.
During your assessment we look at:
- Tasks you carry out at home and for the person, you care for
- How caring affects your social life, your physical and emotional health and your access to education or work
- What support is already in place for you
- What other support is available for you and your family
Carer's Card
When you register with our service you will receive a carers I.D. which you can use to highlight you are a carer.
You can also use this in emergency situations, get reduced rates and concessions into local tourist attractions, theatres and swimming in Solihull.
You can find our concessions list here
As much as we aim to keep our concession lists up to date, we encourage carers to always check concessions in advance to avoid disappointment. If you know of any changes to current concessions or others not noted, please let us know.
One-to-one support work
Although you may find caring enjoyable and rewarding, we know that it can also come with many challenges. It can affect your health, social life, confidence and have a big impact on things that are important to you.
We offer a confidential space to talk to someone who understand and can offer support with issues around caring.
You are not alone, we are here to help.
Events & Activities
We know it’s not always easy for carers to take time out — things like transport, finances, or your caring role can get in the way.
That’s why we offer free activities designed to make it easier for you to take a break. These give you the chance to relax, have fun, meet others who understand what it’s like, and enjoy time for yourself doing things that can be hard to manage as a carer.
Meet ups – meet up, build friendships and do your own thing
A break from caring – We have activities designed for your age group (go karting, cinema, zoo)
Annual residential trip – A few days away for a fun, chilled break from caring.
Time for me fund – receive £30 to do something for you – cinema, meal with friends, a haircut or treatment.
Decision making group (DMG) – have your say about issues affecting young adult carers and make a difference.
Please look at our online calendar or newsletter to find out more.
Support in education
We listen to young adult carers to understand what skills and knowledge they need, both to support their caring role and for their own personal growth. Based on their feedback, we create training sessions that are relevant, practical, and age appropriate.
In the past, we’ve offered training in:
- First Aid
- Interview Skills
- Confidence Building
We’ve also supported carers by attending job fairs and providing guidance for employment opportunities.
To find out what training we have available, check out our online calendar and newsletters by clicking here.
faq's
Will social services be involved?
There is no need for social services to be involved unless there is a risk of harm to the young adult carer.
Can you help me with my education or work?
We have helped a number of young adult carers in education. This includes liaising with education providers to implement support for carers. We have also been able to access funding to purchase IT equipment used for education. We also run some training sessions to help you get employed including CV workshops and interview techniques.
Will I be able to go to all of the activities?
Not all of them, we support a lot of carers, and we never have enough places for everyone.
We make our selections based on a carer’s need for a break from caring first. After that, we look at when was the last time you attended a trip.
You can register your interest in everything, if there is no space you will be put on the waiting list. If anyone drops out, you may be called last minute to see if you want to attend.
I don’t want to do anything; I don’t know anyone
Meeting other carers that know what you are going through helps reduce isolation.
We always do a quick icebreaker for people to get to know one another a bit better. There are also staff, peer mentors and befrienders that can help you. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to, it is entirely up to you. This is the same for any activity we have, if you change your mind that is OK.
Some young carers only have a carers card and feel that they don’t need the support we offer but use the card for discounted or free places for activities.
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young adult carers stories
It is critical for young adult carers to be identified early so they can get the right support at the right time. Young adult carers in Solihull tell their story of what it means to them to be a carer and how they have been supported. If you’re a carer and would like to share your story, please contact us by clicking here
- 18 minutes |
- 3 minutes |
- 11 minutes |
- 5 minutes |
