Young carers, young adult carers and families

• Emergency contact name/s.

If you are unable to fill in the online form, contact Carers Matter Norfolk. Tel: 0800 0831148

You will be sent a carer’s emergency card which you should always carry with you. The card clearly states that you are a carer and that someone is relying on you to keep them safe and well. It includes your emergency plan number and the emergency helpline number.

What happens in an emergency?

You, or someone on your behalf, should call: 0344 8008020 and give your emergency plan number. The service will help even if they cannot reach your named contact/s or you don’t have anyone who can help nearby. The service will provide an initial response to allow enough time to plan what will need to happen next.

If the emergency develops, we may have a conversation about the ongoing needs of the person you care for. The emergency services know what to do if they see your carer’s emergency card.

Young carers are children and young people up to the age of 18 whose lives are affected by a caring responsibility. They might be caring for a parent, sibling, other family member or a friend who has a long-term physical or mental illness or disability, or they might have an alcohol and/or drug dependency. The support the child or young person provides is relied on by the cared-for person, and others in their family.

We have a legal duty of care to ensure children and young people are protected from inappropriate and excessive caring. Young carers are children and young people first. Caring for others should not be harmful to a child or young person’s health, education, wellbeing or overall development. Young adult carers are defined as a person aged from 14 years.

We also have a legal duty to ensure that young adult carers make a successful transition to adulthood; this involves promoting their wellbeing and their wishes in terms of future caring, education, training and employment choices. Caring for others who are ill or disabled can result in young carers becoming physically or emotionally tired. This can have an impact on their health, wellbeing, school or college work, their relationships with friends and their social life. Parents of young carers may also feel isolated and not know how to get support for themselves and their family.

All carers living in Norfolk have a right to an assessment of their help and support needs from us. To request help and support, contact us: 0344 8008020.

We currently provide an information and support service to young carers, their parents, family members, communities and professionals through Carers Matter Norfolk (CMN).

If you are a carer of any age needing information or support, or you think a child or young person might be a young carer or young adult carer in need of support, contact CMN (see page 8).