Carers NSW

Young Carer Program www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au

1800 242 636

Who are Young Carers? Young carers are children and young

people under the age of 26 who care for and support a family member who has a disability, chronic condition, terminal illness, mental illness or who has a drug or alcohol dependency.

The person they help care for may be a parent, sibling, grandparent, other relative, or friend.

Statistics

There are approximately 304,800* young carers (1 out of every 20 people under 25) in Australia.

Approximately 100,200* young carers under 25 live in NSW.

Carers NSW Young Carers Program currently has 3,233 Young Carer members throughout NSW.

*(SDAC 2009)

What are some of the things Young Carers do?

Personal Care Feeding

Bathing

Dressing

Medication management

Lifting / moving

Toileting

Grooming

Household Care Shopping

Cleaning

Paying bills

Repairs

Gardening

Cooking

Washing

Emotional Support Listen

Provide encouragement

Attend appointments

Monitor moods and behaviours

The impacts of caring • PHYSICAL Heavy lifting and carrying out

household tasks like cooking and cleaning, can put strain on developing bodies.

• EMOTIONAL Young Carers might feel worried, anxious or stressed out when they are with, or away from, the person they care for. They may also feel guilt, anger, trapped, isolated or misunderstood.

• SOCIAL Young Carers may not have time

to hang out with friends and take part in after school activities and are at higher risk of being bullied.

• EDUCATIONAL Young Carers are at higher risk of not completing their education and therefore face more obstacles when entering the workforce.

Positive aspects of caring • CARING SKILLS Young Carers

develop caring skills which they often use in future employment, for example, social work or nursing.

• MATURITY Young Carers are often very mature for their age.

• CLOSE FAMILY BONDS Young Carers are often very close to the family members they care for.

HIDDEN CARERS Looking behind the BEHAVIOUR

to see the YOUNG CARER

LAZY? Looks like…. • Falling asleep in class • Hasn’t done homework

• Attention wandering

• Finding it difficult to concentrate

• Poor attendance

LAZY? Looks like…. • Falling asleep in class • Hasn’t done homework

• Attention wandering

• Finding it difficult to concentrate

• Poor attendance

Could be…. • Up all night taking care

of a sick sibling

• Has to cook, clean, prepare lunches and get siblings ready for school every day

• Parent has depression

and won’t let young carer leave home to go to school

• Has to take on an after

school job in order to help support the family financially

SHOW OFF? Looks Like….

• Attention seeking

• Ambitious

• Class clown

• Bullying

SHOW OFF? Looks Like….

• Attention seeking

• Ambitious

• Class clown

• Bullying

Could Be….

• Sibling with a disability needs extra parental attention

• Own needs not being

acknowledged at home

• Anticipatory grief for terminally ill family member

Looks like….

• Not included in peer activities

• Victim of bullying

• Works/sits alone • Doesn’t have friends over to the house

LONER?

Looks like….

• Not included in peer activities

• Victim of bullying

• Works/sits alone • Doesn’t have friends over to the house

LONER? Could be….

• Never learnt how to

relate to own age group

• Fear of being teased about mum who has a mental illness

• Doesn’t know how to

assert own needs • Has had no opportunity

to learn social skills • Too embarrassed to

invite friends home

NEGLECTED? Looks Like…. • Unclean clothing • Lack of / ill-fitting

uniform or suitable clothing

• Inadequate food

• No finances for

excursions, etc

• Unkempt appearance

NEGLECTED? Could Be….

• Demands of caring role

means there is no time to do washing

• Cost of medication results

in financial hardship

• Parent with back injury can’t do the shopping

• High needs of disabled sibling means no attention given to needs of young carer

Looks Like….

• Unclean clothing • Lack of / ill-fitting

uniform or suitable clothing

• Inadequate food

• No finances for

excursions, etc

• Unkempt appearance

PRECOCIOUS? Looks like....

• Talks in an adult way

• Used to taking control

• Has a lot of knowledge about disability/illness

• Is said to have a “caring nature”

PRECOCIOUS? Looks like....

• Talks in an adult way

• Used to taking control

• Has a lot of knowledge about disability/illness

• Is said to have a “caring nature”

Could be.... • Used to liaising with

service providers at home

• May have to take on some responsibilities that are considered ‘parental’

• Used to taking the lead

in decision making

• May have to make important medical decisions on behalf of parent

DRAMA QUEEN? Looks Like….

• Crying • Over-reacting

• Anger

• Moodiness

• Teen angst

DRAMA QUEEN? Looks Like….

• Crying • Over-reacting

• Anger

• Moodiness

• Teen angst

Could be….

• Not coping with caring responsibilities

• Worried/anxious about person requiring care

• Too embarrassed to ask for help

• Guilt about wanting own life

• Depression about future

What does the Young Carer Team do? The NSW Young Carer Program was created to:

• be a central point of contact for young carers to access information and be referred to appropriate services.

• support young carers through counselling, either on the telephone or face-to-face.

• keep young carers informed via the young carer website and through the quarterly newsletter YC News and monthly YC E-News.

• raise public awareness of young carer issues and help to educate people about what it means to be a young carer.

• develop networks throughout the state and nationally to improve services for young carers and their families.

• Offer opportunities and training to young carers who want to advocate for and raise awareness of young carers as a Young Carer Representative

Young Carer Program: Age Ratio 1%

17%

40%

42%

< 8

8-12

13-17

18-25

Young Carer Program: Cultural

47%

41%

5% 7%

Unknown

Australian

ATSI

CALD

Young Carer Program: Region Central Coast

Central West

Cumberland/prospect

Far North Coast

Hunter

Illawarra

Inner West

Mid North Coast

Nepean

New England

North Sydney

Orana Far West

Riverina Murray

Sth East Sydney

Sth West Sydney

Southern Highlands

Other

Young Carer Program: Caring Situation

14%

7%

7%

27%

Autism Cancer

Cerebral Palsy Chrinic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic Illness Dementia/Alzheimers

Diabetes Disability Developmental

Disability Physical Emphysema

Head Injury (traumatic brain injury) Hearing impairment

Heart Problems HIV/AIDS

Huntingtons Disease Incontinence

Intellectual Disability Kidney problems

Mental Illness Motor Neurone Disease

Multiple Sclerosis Muscular Dystrophy

Non-traumatic brain injury Pallative Care

Parkinsons Disease Spinal Cord Injury

Stroke Visual Impairment

Other

Young Carer Website www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au

• Join the YC Club

• YC Chat (discussion room)

• Ask a question

• Post a story or poem

• News - activities & supports

• Media stories about young carers

• Young carer fact sheets

• Useful contact numbers

YC News YC News is sent out every 3 months by post and includes:

• News updates

• Young carer stories

• Competitions

• Photos

• Quick and easy recipes

• Stories about types of illness

or disabilities

• Counselling information

• And much more!!!

Young Carer E-News YC E-News is sent out monthly via email and includes:

• News updates

• Media releases

• Upcoming young carer activities

• Upcoming young carer camps

• Young carer support groups

• Other young carer events

• Young carer research

• Competitions

• And much more!!!

Thank you

Any questions?

For more information, or to register a young carer, contact the Young Carer Team on

1800 242 636 To register for E-News visit the website at

www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au