Young carers

If you’re looking after an adult family member or a sibling who is ill, has physical or learning disabilities, struggles with their mental health or is dependent on drugs or alcohol, then this group is here to support you.

You can join weekly group sessions (see below) and meet other young people who are going through similar experiences.

You’ll be able to chat through any concerns and access helpful life advice, alongside fun activities such as going to the cinema and out for meals with the group.

The sessions are split into three age groups: juniors 5–9 years, inters 9–13 years and seniors 13–18 years.

To join, you need to have been assessed using the young carer’s screening tool. This simply involves talking to you, your parents (and anyone else you want to be involved) to understand your situation.

Your assessment will:

• look at the impact your responsibilities have on your education, training and leisure opportunities
• decide whether it is appropriate for you to continue providing this care
• ask you if you want to carry on caring and, if so, how much support you are willing and able to provide
• identify other services to support your family.

If you already have a social worker or early help worker e.g. family worker or youth worker, then they can be the ones to assess you as you know them and are familiar with them. If you don’t have a support worker, you can ask for a referral for an assessment by calling our Children’s Single Point of Access (CSPoA) on 0118 937 3641. They will look at the request (which can be made by you or a professional, such as a teacher or GP on your behalf) and let you know how the young carer’s assessment will be completed.

There is more information on support for young carers on the Family Information Service website here.

If you’re not happy with the way that Brighter Futures for Children is working with you and would like to make a complaint, or if you’d like to leave us any feedback, head over to our Young People’s Zone where we’ve added a leaflet that explains how.