Young Carers Action Day 2025: What I would tell young carers like me
Today marks Young Carers Action Day, an annual awareness day for young and young adult carers. This theme for this year is ‘Give me a Break’ and focuses on the importance of rest and respite for young carers.
With that in mind, I thought it would be useful for me to share my own experiences of caring for my dad, who has a brain injury, since I was nine-years-old.
Tips I would give to young and young adult carers
I have been lucky that for the most part I have had very supportive teachers, university staff and employers. However, I have also picked up a great deal of tips over my 16 years as a carer.
In education, whether at school or university, ensure you make your teachers, personal tutors and lectures aware of what you are dealing with at home. Many schools and universities will have ways they can support you.
Don’t be afraid to use extenuating circumstances. As a young carer you may often have to miss part of your studies. In fact research from Carers First found 27% of young carers miss school due to their caring role.
Therefore, if when sitting your GCSES or A levels, you had an immediate event affecting your ability to take the exam or assessment, or on how you perform, you should reach out to your school. For example, before I sat my A Levels my Dad was taken into hospital and this significantly impacted my exams and my school applied for extenuating circumstance on my behalf.
At university I was open with my personal tutors and lecturers about my caring responsibilities. I was really grateful to have an incredibly supportive personal tutor who helped me get extended deadlines when my caring responsibilities got in the way and helped ensure I was able to complete my degree.
When I entered the working world, I also continued being open with my employers. This isn’t always an option for everyone, but I have been lucky to work for employers who have been understanding and supportive.
At BBK the flexible working policy has helped me balance work and caring responsibilities. My colleagues have recently written a blog about how important flexible working can be for those with caring responsibilities.
Whilst ideally you will have a supportive employer, it is also worth being aware of what statutory rights you are entitled to as a carer. There is a lot of guidance available online and I have highlighted a few trusted sources below:
- Carers Trust: Carers’ rights at work
- Carers UK: Managing paid work and caring
- Carers’ Resource: Your rights as a carer
What can you do to support young carers day?
According to Carers First there are 800,000 young carers in the UK aged 5-17 caring for an adult or a family member in the UK. And one in three of those young carers will struggle with their mental health.
If you would like to support young carers you can:
- Encourage your local council, schools or MP to sign the Young Carers Covenant. You can find more details on the Carers Trust website.
- Consider donating or supporting to a charity that supports young carers. Examples include the Carers Trust, Carers First and the Young Carers Alliance. There are also local groups that support carers that you can search for online.
