A young adult carer is a person aged 18-25, who has a caring responsibility. This is usually for a family member who has a disability, long-term illness, mental illness (including depression, anxieties) or drug/alcohol substance misuse.
We support young adults carers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough by offering tailored support with a person-centred approach.
Caring is often assumed to be a physical role, often full time – this isn’t always the case.
Caring doesn’t have to mean you live with the person who you care for, nor does it mean you have to provide physical care for them. Many carers provide support by being the point of contact for the cared for person as well as organising the physical care they require by liaising with a team of health professionals.
Caring is as individual as the person who requires the care.
Often is the case that when a young adult carer is asked what their caring responsibilities are they don’t regard what they do as ‘caring’, more that it’s just part of their ‘day-to-day life’ as they have grown with the role of a carer as opposed to stepping into it. What this tells us is there is an unfortunate proportion of young adults who are caring without support and/or are unaware of what support may be available to them.
How we can help you
We offer a range of support to young adult carers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. As part of the support we offer we are able to link in with a wide network of health professionals to help explore options to ease the pressure of the carer. We can also offer direct support with helping to focus on independence away from the caring role by exploring career opportunities and educational qualifications, promoting personal interests and goals as well as offering peer to peer support at our hubs and events.
We take leadership from the carers themselves and will be hosting online workshops on a wide range of topics all aimed at supporting and empowering young adult carers. We can also offer face to face support either in our St. Ives office with our Young Adult Carer Lead, Emily who, growing up as a carer herself, has a wide range of knowledge and understanding. You can call us on 0345 241 0954 Monday to Friday, or email Emily at [email protected]
Helpful links offering support for young adult carers:
Sexual health centres in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough:
iCaSH Cambridgeshire
iCaSH Peterborough
NHS – Find a sexual health clinic
Mental health support for young adults:
NHS – Help for teenagers, young adults and students – NHS
YoungMinds – Mental health charity for children and young people
Keep Your Head – Mental health and wellbeing information for children, young people, adults, professionals, and schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Drugs and alcohol help for young adults:
Drink Rethink – Drug and alcohol impact
FRANK – Honest information about drugs
Period poverty:
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