Who is a Carer

Who is a Carer?

Many people look after someone due to their age, disability, long-term physical or mental health condition or an addiction.

We do this without any payment because they couldn’t manage without our support.

There are over 124,000 unpaid carers in Essex.

Adult Carers

An Adult Carers is someone aged over 18 who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help.

If you would like to register yourself, or somebody else for our support please complete our online referral form or phone 0300 7 708090.

Parent Carers

Parent Carers provide care to their children (this includes grown up children) who cannot manage without help; the help they need from their parents will be greater than would normally be expected for the age of the child; this could be due to illness, disability, mental health or substance misuse issues.

As a parent Carer, you are less likely to see yourself as a Carer and you may find that some professionals will not recognise you as a Carer either. Support is available which could include practical, financial or emotional support.

Young Adult Carers

The term Young Adult Carer applies to anyone between 16 and 25 whose life is in some way restricted because of the need to take responsibility for the care of a person on a regular basis.

They may be the main carer or provide partial care for a Brother, Sister, Mother, Father, Grandparent, Husband, Wife or Partner.

The person being cared for may have a long-term illness, a physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulties, mental illness or be affected by alcohol or substance misuse.

As you move from being a Young Carer to Young Adult Carer, our staff can support you.

Some of our Young Adult Carers who attended our Clubs become Volunteers and using your experience, you can help us to support the Younger Carers.

Young Carers

Young Carers are children who look after a friend or family member, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction. They often take on responsibilities normally expected of an adult. They can struggle to balance caring with going to school, doing homework, and making time for themselves and their friends.