Young Carers

Young Carers Service

The Lincolnshire Young Carers Service supports young carers up to the age of 19. Young carers may be helping and supporting a family member or friend due to disability, mental ill-health, illness or substance misuse.

A young carer may be providing support with:

cooking, housework and shopping
physical care, such as helping someone in and out of bed
personal care, such as assistance with dressing, toileting and administering medication
managing the family budget
collecting prescriptions and arranging GP or hospital appointments
helping with communication
looking after brothers or sisters
emotional support

The Lincolnshire Carers Service can also provide support for young carers from the age of 16, depending on need.

Young Carer Card

Apply for a young carer card

Young carers are under 18 and are not usually the next of kin. Sometimes, professionals do not feel they can share confidential information with them. We have created the young carer card to help prevent issues around age and consent.

A professional working with a 'cared-for' person may choose to discuss things with a cardholder. The card does not give the young carer an automatic right to information.

A professional may share information about:

medication (for example, its effects and safe handling)
the diagnosis (for example, background information and living with or managing a condition)
the prognosis (for example, how the condition may or may not develop in the future)

Before you apply, you will need:

consent from your parent, if possible
a digital passport-size photograph

Contact Lincolnshire Young Carers Service

Telephone: 01522 553275

Email: youngcarers@lincolnshire.gov.uk

Young Carers educational support

Combining your caring role with being in school, college, higher education, or further education can sometimes be challenging. As a carer there are things you can do to help you remain in, or get back into, education. Young carers are entitled to support to ensure they do not miss out on opportunities to learn.

Talking to someone at your place of study about your caring responsibilities is your personal choice. It can be helpful to let staff know about your caring situation so they can put adjustments in place to help you continue learning whilst you are caring.

If you are a young carer, it's important to talk to someone you trust if you are worried things such as:

being late for school or not being able to attend at all
finding it difficult to concentrate because you are worried about someone at home
getting stressed or anxious about school work
going to college or university

Lincolnshire Young Carers Service can also help if you are finding it difficult to talk to someone in school or college.

Further and higher education

Support available to carers in education can vary across colleges and universities. All educational establishments have student support services which cover all aspects of student life.

Some further and higher education establishments can offer different types of learning which may suit your situation:

Part time study
Evening classes
Distance or E-learning (e.g. Open University)

Student support services and university student’s unions are a good place to find out what support is available to you about your caring role, and also generally as a student. It may also be helpful to speak to your personal tutor and/or lecturers about your caring role too.

Some educational establishments offer funding or bursaries that are available to carers. Student support services for educational settings will be able to offer advice on bursaries and grants.

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