About this service
We support young carers and their families living in Rotherham where their caring role is having an adverse effect. With a focus on protecting young people from undertaking excessive caring roles, our team promote and improve the health and wellbeing of our young carers, working specifically with those whereby the caring expectation is having a direct impact on their ability to thrive. We create quality support networks and offer opportunities that enable positive childhoods – ones in which our young carers can grow, develop and flourish.
Who is a young carer?
A young carer is a child or young person who looks after or helps to look after someone who has an illness, learning or physical disability, experiences mental ill health or has a difficulty with drugs or alcohol. At Young Carers Rotherham, we work with young carers up until their 19th birthday.
A young carer usually takes on practical and/or emotional caring tasks that would normally be expected of an adult. This means doing things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, giving medication or talking and helping when the person they care for is upset.
Caring tasks can look very different, a young carer might be doing different things than mentioned above, but that doesn’t mean that they are not a young carer.
Who Young Carers Rotherham supports
For Young Carers Rotherham to be involved, children and young people must meet the above definition of a young carer.
Our service is designed for young carers aged 8 – 18 (up to their 19th birthday) and aims to protect children and young people from excessive caring, helping to provide the support they need to learn, develop and enjoy positive childhoods.
Download our leaflet
Referrals
If you make a referral you will need to identify the caring responsibilities (practical and/or emotional) undertaken by the child or young person, as well as the impact those responsibilities are having upon on the following:
- physical/mental health
- emotional and behavioural development
- education
- family and social/peer relationships
In cases where either of these points are unclear i.e. caring responsibilities or impact on the child or young person, we will need to clarify. It is important that you include as much information as possible, otherwise there may be a delay in accepting the referral. The level of impact the caring responsibilities are having on the child or young person will help the service determine the appropriate response.
Find our full referral guidance below (including the referral pathway) as well as our referral form.
Referral guidance & pathway Referral formNeed different support?
Whatever issues you or your family face, we are here to help. If this service isn’t right for you, you can find a different service, contact our helpline, FamilyLine or browse our self-help articles to find the right support for you.
Call, text, email or web chat FamilyLine
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, worried or upset about any aspect of your family life, FamilyLine is here for you. We offer free emotional support and guidance on family relationships, conflict, parenting, caring, financial worries and more.
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