YOUNG CARERS

Email office@carers-westlothian.com | Tel 01506 448000

How we support Young Carers

We support young carers aged between 8yrs-18yrs who live in West Lothian.

Being a young carer means you may take on responsibility for helping to look after someone (usually a family member) who has a long-term illness, disability, mental health problem or substance misuse issue.

What type of support we offer will depend on the young carers age and unique family circumstances.

The support we can offer to young carers is;

One to one support
Peer support groups
School support
Signposting to relevant agencies
Information & advice
Counselling
Short break funds

Are you a Young Carer?

As a Young Carer you may be helping with chores around the house to keep the house manageable for the person you care for and some fetching and carrying. Some of you may be preparing food and drinks, sorting medication, or looking after your siblings.

You may also be providing personal care for the person you look after. Most of you may be keeping your eyes and ears open to make sure the person you care for is well and safe, keeping them company, spending more time with them than your friends might be with their own family members.

Young Carers can often feel very different to their friends as they may be embarrassed, upset, and even scared of what might happen if people find out. You may also feel sad, tired or guilty and may feel quite alone as it is not always easy to know or meet others in the same situation.

You are not alone as there are lots of young carers across Scotland and the UK. In fact Scottish Young Carers Alliance figures estimate the number of young carers in Scotland is 44,000. Although through working in schools, young carer’s projects suggest that it’s closer to 100,000.

Lots of young carers feel good about what they do, but it can be tough too. They may worry about the person they care for or perhaps find it hard to join in with their friends after school and at weekends because there are things at home they need to do.

Some young carers find it hard to concentrate at school or hard to do their homework as they feel too tired. They sometimes feel different to others in their school and young carers are often teased or picked on.

Please ask someone (parent, teacher or other professional) to contact us if you think you might be a young carer

A message from some Young Carers

Young Carer Case Studies and Testimonials

Referrals for Young Carers

Please be aware that Young Carers cannot self-refer.

We accept referrals from any professional or parents and our referral forms can be completed electronically and emailed directly to us. Please ensure that you have read the criteria at the back of the form before submitting a referral. Send your completed form to office@carers-westlothian.com

If you would like to discuss a young carer referral, please contact one of the Young Carers Team on 01506 448009 or use our contact form below, or email us on office@carers-westlothian.com

Use the button below to go to our Referrals page

Make a Referral

Other support and advice services

Adult Carers

Disability Service

Counselling

Short Breaks

Benefits Advice

Power of Attorney

EXTERNAL QUICK LINKS

St John’s Hospital - 01506 523000
NHS 24 - 111 / Web - NHS UK
Samaritans - 116 123 (Free from landlines and mobiles) / Web - Samaritans
Breathing Space – breathingspace.scot
Childline - 0800 1111 / Web - Childline.org

HELP OUT OF HOURS

West Lothian Council Social Work Services - website WLC Social Work
Out of Hours Emergency Service 01506 281028 / 281029
West Lothian Council main number 01506 280000
West Lothian Council Social Work Services 01506 282252