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.
Here you'll find out where to go for support:
- a list or organisations across the region who support young carers
- our Young Carers Support App
We have a Young Carers Support App, launched in Summer 2021 which we developed as a strategic development partner with Expert Self Care Ltd. It is free to download, regularily updated, offers local information and available on both Android and IOS. It can be useful for young people and for professionals.
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.
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.
The App has been coproduced with young carers following feedback on what support they need to make their caring role easier. Feedback included the importance of virtual anonymous support and advice on how to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing.
Young carers and young adult carers have done an amazing job before and during the pandemic with many finding themselves with increased caring responsibilities coupled with less time spent at school, in college or with friends. Many have found their lives turned upside down with feelings of stress or anxiety heightened, with nowhere to go for support.
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership is committed to addressing the inequalities that young carers face. The launch of the Young Carers Support App will enable young carers to access information on how to look after their health and wellbeing as well as support available to them in their caring role, including local the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) who can offer bespoke advice and support to young people.
The ‘YC support’ app was produced by ‘Expert Self Care’, an organisation who provide health information, promote self-care and signpost services through trusted mobile apps, led by Dr Knut Schroeder, a Bristol based GP and Health App Developer.