Albie is a teen and has spent much of his life supporting a parent who lives with severe mental health challenges, including schizophrenia.
A few years ago, Albie also experienced the devastating loss of his other parent, who died by suicide. Since then, much of the responsibility at home has fallen to him. Alongside caring for his parent, he also looks out for his younger brother, who is 12.
Day-to-day life has often meant managing adult responsibilities at a young age – organising shopping, cooking meals and making sure he and his brother had everything needed for school. Despite this, Albie remained committed to his education. He’s attended school regularly, worked hard and always arrived well-presented, meaning the challenges he faced at home were not immediately visible to others.
Life at home could be tense and stressful, with periods of crisis where professionals would become involved. However, once those situations stabilised, services would often step away – leaving Albie feeling as though no one was checking on how he or his brother were coping. Because he kept so much to himself, and did not display behavioural difficulties at school, the reality of his home life went largely unnoticed.
Over time, carrying these responsibilities alone began to affect Albie emotionally. He was struggling with low mood and the ongoing weight of grief and uncertainty.
Albie was eventually referred to Action for Family Carers by his school. Our Young Carer Coordinator, who works closely with the school, began regular one-to-one sessions with him. For the first time, Albie had a safe and consistent space to talk openly about what life was really like at home.
Through this support, a referral for counselling was made, and the school was also made more aware of the challenges he was facing. This meant Albie was able to access additional support during the school day, helping him process both his caring responsibilities and the grief surrounding the loss of his parent.
With time and encouragement, Albie’s confidence began to grow. Feeling supported helped him make a very difficult but important decision for his wellbeing – to move out of the family home and live with an older half-sibling who had moved locally to provide a safer and more stable environment.
This change has given Albie the opportunity to find a sense of calm and stability that had been missing from his life for some time.
As his confidence has grown, Albie has also begun to use his experiences to help others. As part of receiving a Jack Petchey Award, he bravely spoke to other year groups at school about mental health and suicide, sharing his story to raise awareness and encourage open conversations.
Albie’s journey shows the extraordinary resilience many young carers carry quietly. With the right support and someone to listen, he has begun to move from simply coping to building a future where his voice and his wellbeing matter too.
By supporting Action for Family Carers, you can help ensure that young carers like Albie are seen, heard and supported when they need it most. Donate now
