For some, looking after someone or being a young carer is just a bit of their lives and doesn’t last forever.
But for a lot of young carers, caring is something they carry on doing for a long time. So what changes? And maybe you’re wondering what’s out there for you when you get older.
Caring During Teenage Years
Being a young carer can be hard enough, let alone when you hit your teenage years. With all the difficult but exciting things being a teenager can bring, like new relationships and friends, GCSE’s, college, body image, figuring out who you are and more – all of this on top of caring can be a lot to deal with.
Being in the teenager stage means you might be more focused on the future. At school you might be hearing teachers talk about college and what’s out there for you after school, and suddenly, it can feel like you’re not a child anymore at all.
Your caring role might also change as you do, it might become less about helping with physical things and more about emotional support, or it might be that you care for more than just one person now, meaning a lot more things for you to do.
What is out there for me when I grow up?
Don’t worry – as you transition from being a young carer to a young adult carer (young adult carers are carers from the ages of 18-25), there is still support, advice and activities you can get involved with as you grow up and remain caring.
Transition simply means changing from one process or period to another. For you as a young carer aged 16 – 18, the focus is on the transition from childhood into adulthood. A transition assessment is about you, your hopes and wishes for the future and the support you may need to achieve those goals. The assessment will also look at whether you will have ongoing support needs at 18 and how you can be supported at that time.
Contact us today for more information.