There are at least 376,000 Young Adult Carers in the UK. Being a Young Adult Carer can affect a young person's wellbeing, social life and future achievements.

Young Adult Carers (YACs) are young people aged 16–25 who care, unpaid, for a family member or friend with an illness or disability, mental health condition or addiction.

Caring for someone, whether they are elderly, frail, have a life-long illness, mental health condition, addiction, or a physical or learning disability can be very rewarding. It can also be tiring and stressful, and impact the Carer’s own health and wellbeing. Many people do not think of themselves as Carers. They just do the right thing for the people they love and don’t expect any help.

We understand that Carers often experience isolation, stress, guilt and anger, and that caring can be emotionally draining.

Are you a Young Adult Carer? Do you know what support is out there? Do you struggle to find a little time for yourself because of your caring responsibilities?

Our trained Young Adult Carer Coordinators can help. Our support is totally free of charge. By providing emotional and practical support and information, we aim to ease the stress experienced by Carers, and help them to feel better equipped for their caring role.

How we can help

Our YAC coordinators will talk to you about your caring role and provide advice, guidance and support. This will assist you in your caring role, by helping you to maintain your own health and well-being, and to find the right balance between your caring role and your own needs. We will work with you to develop an individualised support plan and to access relevant resources and support. We can also support you with:

• Community services
• Activities, training, and education
• Meet & talk groups
• Respite from your caring role
• Support with getting into work
• and much more

Our YAC workers are experienced in running activities and delivering assemblies in schools and colleges. Please contact the team on 0300 011 1965 or at navigation@imago.community to find out more.