Support Services for Young Carers
Derbyshire Carers Association (DCA) run support services for Young Carers in Derbyshire. If you're a Young Carer the Young Carer Service may be able to offer:
- someone you can talk to in confidence when you need it
- activities and social groups
- support groups - talking to and making friends with other young carers
- help with getting a break from caring
- help with talking to professionals who work with you or your family, including school, health staff and social workers
- information and advice, including how to get help to make things better for you at home
- help with managing school, college, going to uni or getting a job if you want to
- support for your whole family and any brothers and sisters.
You can read the new leaflet here.
The service has also put together a poster explaining how they can support young carers during the COVID pandemic.
Can I use the service?
To be able to use the Young Carers Support Service (under 18) or Young Carers Service (under 25) your caring role must:
- include doing tasks that are over and above what is usually expected for someone of your age
- be having a negative effect on you and your life.
If you are able to get support from DCA's Young Carer Service you'll get a named support worker so you get to see the same person each time.
The worker will talk to you about what is important to you and work out how they can best help you and your family. They can put you in touch with other organisations who may be able to help too.
The service covers the whole of Derbyshire and supports Young Carers to have the same opportunities as other young people who don't have to care for someone. This includes help to make sure your caring role doesn't take up too much of your time and you are able to do things someone your age would normally do - such as going to school and seeing your friends.
Get in touch
You can ask your parent, teacher, social worker or other adult you trust to get in touch with DCA for you and see if you can use the service.
You can contact them yourself but if you are under 18 you will need permission from a parent or guardian to use the service.
To get in touch with DCA you can call their Head Office on tel: 01773 833833. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter
One support service that is there for young carers is the Derbyshire School Nurse Service.
Every School has a School Nursing Team linked to it and the team are there to support you in any way they can.
You may just want someone just to talk to, someone to make sure you are healthy or someone that can help you access support groups and services.
Counselling
If you're struggling with your feelings and and you don't want to talk to a friend or family member then you could try counselling services. Counselling can help if:
- you feel depressed
- you are struggling with your mental health
- you are having problems with your parents or family members
- you are struggling with school or with people at school.
Counselling lets you talk to a non-judgemental counsellor about how you feel. The counsellor will listen to you and try and help you find ways to make things better.
Relate offer counselling services to young people in Derbyshire. This video talks about how counsellors can help you.
If you want to use the Relate counselling service you can ask a teacher, support worker or social worker (if you have one) to get in touch with them for you. Or you can get in touch with them yourself.
- The phone number for Relate in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire (Buxton, Matlock, Bolsover, Bakewell etc) is tel: 07384 762 877 - you can also visit their website
- The phone number for Relate in Derby and South Derbyshire (Ripley, Swadlincote, Long Eaton, Derby etc) is tel: 01332 349177 - they also have a local website
If you aren't sure which you should contact, you can use the map on the national Relate website to find the nearest counsellor to you.
Kooth
Kooth is an online counselling and emotional well-being platform for children and young people, accessible through mobile, tablet and desktop and free at the point of use.
On Kooth you can:
- Chat to friendly counsellors
- Read articles written by young people
- Get support from the Kooth community
- Write in a daily journal
Other counselling services
You could use the Counselling Directory which lets you look for services near you.
Or you could speak to your school nurse or doctor and ask them to get in touch with a counselling service for you through the NHS.
Your Doctor
Make sure you tell your doctor that you're a young carer as they might be able to offer help to make things easier for you and the person you look after.
Your School, College or Uni
It's important you tell your teacher or lecturer that you're a Young Carer. They may be able to support you and help you plan your workload around your caring role.
Space 4 U - if you support someone with a drug problem
Space 4U can help young people who are seriously affected by someone else's drug use (usually someone in your family). They offer help and advice on issues such as friendships, worries about family life, information on drugs and alcohol, and keeping safe. They can also offer access to First Aid training.
If you've got a job - your manager or boss
If you're balancing a part or full time job with caring then tell your manager. If they understand your situtation they are more likely to be able to help you. Carers over 18 who work do have employment rights.
Childline
The Samaritans
As a young carer you may find it helpful to get some training.
This could be on things like First Aid or how to help someone move around without hurting yourself in the process - this is called 'moving and handling'.
The Young Carer Support Service will also be able to help you find out what's available. Give them a ring on tel: 01773 833833 or message them on Facebook.
Online training
The Red Cross also has a free eLearning program where you can learn about the basics of First Aid online.
Carers UK have worked in collaboration with Nutricia to develop a free online course about nutrition and eating well.
