Support for carers

Does someone depend on you?

An unpaid carer is anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help. This could be due to illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction. They cannot manage without your support.

Carers are not paid for the care they give, although they may receive Carers Allowance. Anyone can become a carer at any time. You may not recognise that you’re a carer if you’re doing what comes naturally as a daughter, son, parent, friend or neighbour.

Carers can be:

Family members, friends, or neighbours
Adults or children (young carers)
Living with the person they care for or not

They often help with:

Personal care (like washing, dressing, or using the toilet)
Managing medication or appointments
Cooking, cleaning, and shopping
Providing emotional support or companionship

Importantly, carers are not the same as paid care workers or volunteers working through an organisation.

Young carers

A young carer is somebody who is aged under 18 and looks after a parent, sibling or any other family member who may have a disability, serious illness, problems with their mental health or with alcohol or drugs.

At times, caring for someone can be really hard and mean that there is less time for hobbies, interests, friends, or school work. You may be taking on extra household chores, sorting out medications, helping someone to wash, or comforting someone, to name but a few tasks.

There is specific support available for young carers:

Let us know if you’re a carer

It’s important that we know if you are a carer. If we know that you’re a carer, we will know about your busy life, which can affect your health. We can also try and be flexible with appointments etc as we will know about your commitments.

Please let our reception team know that you’re a carer. We will make a note on your record.