Fatima Khan Shah, unpaid carer representative in the NHS West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, knows from personal experience that caring can be extremely rewarding. It can also impact on our health and wellbeing in dramatic ways - and at any age. On Young Carers Awareness Day she considers the ways we can improve identification, care and support for our thousands of young carers..
Today is Young Carers Awareness Day, an annual event led and organised by Carers Trust. The day aims to raise awareness of the pressures experienced by young carers – children who need to look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol.
To mark the day, we invited Gareth Howells, CEO of Carers Trust, to reflect on the importance of young carers, and how we can all do more to support them.
Lavinia Scott (24) remembers the early days of her caring role very well – it started when she was around eight years old as her mother endured a series of mental health issues including severe depression. In this third and final blog …
To mark Young Carers Awareness Day, it is our privilege to host a series of blogs featuring the voices and experiences of young carers themselves. Meet this remarkable boy, aged 12, who has cared for his mother for as long as he can …