West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Unpaid Carers Programme launched the Young Carers Support App on Tuesday 8 June 2021. 

Young carers provide invaluable support to their loved ones. We know that caring can impact on a young person’s health, social life, education, and self-confidence. COVID-19 has added additional challenges. A survey from Carers Trust 2020 https://carers.org/what-we-do/our-survey-on-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-young-carers-and-young-adult-carers-  highlights the impact the pandemic has had on young carers mental health. 69% of young carers and young adult carers reported feeling less connected to others, with up to 78% saying they are feeling more anxious about the future.

Young carers need support around them to ensure they are able to help their loved ones whilst looking after their own physical and mental health coupled with working towards a bright and healthy future for themselves.

Our Partnership worked as a strategic development partner with Expert Self Care Ltd, and launched a Young Carers Support App which is free and available to download on both Android and IOS.

The Young Carers Support App bears the Patient Information Forum 'PIF Tick', the only UK quality mark for trustworthy health information. The app offers clear and easily accessible advice and is a comprehensive resource not just for young carers but also for any professional working with young carers and young people.

The first version of the App was launched in March 2021 and was a collaboration between young carers, the Partnership and Dr Knut Shroeder. We then gathered feedback through a survey as we were keen to hear the views of young carers and colleagues who may be signposting young carers to the App. This informed and enabled us to co-produce the final version launched in June 2021.

Young carers can be invisible and are often not identified at school or in health settings so do not have access to the support that is there to help them.  We want to thank all the amazing young carers for all they do. Promoting and launching the App aims to raise awareness of young carers and Make Caring Visible and Valued. 

 

Please note: The app content has been designed for 12+ but due to the links included and provision of health information it has automatically been classified by Apple as 17+. There is a disclaimer when the App is downloaded.