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Introduction

Getting help - the first step

If you are ill or disabled, or have problems with mental ill health, and need someone to help look after you; or if you need support to look after your own children, you should contact your GP or social services directly and ask for someone to give you an assessment.

You may have a child who is disabled or has a long-term illness and needs lot of extra care and attention from you. You can also ask for an assessment to help support them and you.

Your children should not be expected to carry inappropriate levels of caring which have an adverse impact on their development and life chances. It should not be assumed that children should take on similar levels of caring responsibilities to adults. The assessment should be able to identify what services you need for yourself and to help you look after your children.

Make sure that the person who does the assessment asks the whole family what would help them.

To get help, ring or visit your GP, or ring your local social services department. The telephone number will be in the phone book under the name of your town or county. E.g. Social services in Hampshire will be under H; Wandsworth London will be under W.

Also you can log onto our project page‌ to see if there is a local young carers project near you. They will be able to give you information about the kind of help your family might be able to get.

If there isn't a project near you, then here are some people and organisations that can help you and your family.