Who cares for kids who care?

There are lots of organisations that can help if you are a young carer or young adult carer.

You will hear more about children in care than children who have to care.

Even primary school children help to hold homes together, looking after a member of their family not just young adults. More care for these young people themselves is now being planned to support them.

A great place to find out about help is the brilliant Young Scot page.

See www.young. scot/young-carers or visit www. carers. org or www.carersuk. org/scotland

Carers Trust’s local Network Partners are carers’ services across the UK, offering information, advice, practical support and/or care in the home.

Across the West Highlands and islands groups meet to help young carers get much-needed support, a chance to have time to enjoy all kinds of activities and socialise.

The Scottish Government has developed a new package of benefits and support for young carers in Scotland which includes a new Young Carer Grant.

Young carers aged 16-18 in Scotland who do not currently qualify for the Carer’s Allowance, may be eligible for a new £300 annual payment to help them access life opportunities that are the norm for other young people. The Young Carer Grant will be paid from autumn 2019.

All recipients of the Young Carer Grant will also be eligible for free concessionary bus travel in Scotland; this will begin in 2020-2021.

Young Scot and the Scottish Government will also be working with young people in Scotland who have caring responsibilities, to help with non-cash benefits, entitlements and rewards for young carers aged 11-18. These will become available through the Young Scot National Entitlement Card and Young Scot card from April 2019.

Alongside wider Scottish Government support for young carers, it is intended that the grant helps young carers to look after their own health and well-being, improve their quality of life and reduce any negative impact of caring; participate fully in society and, if they choose, engage in training, education and employment opportunities, as well as social and leisure, and have an increased sense of control and empowerment over their lives. The grant will be paid on an entitlement rather than discretionary basis. • There are 49,000 young careers aged 16 – 24; some even younger • More than 7,000 young people are providing more than 35 hours a week of care to someone. • Fewer than 4,000 of those young people claimed carer’s allowance • Find out how to apply for carer’s allowance, hear stories from other young people on their experience of being a carer and get loads of info on caring for someone on the Young Scot website for young people in Scotland.