Young Carers

Who are young carers?

Young carers are children and young people up to 25 years of age who help care for someone who has an illness, disability, mental health issue, an alcohol or drug problem, or who is frail/aged.

Young carers are in all communities, and according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012), there are an estimated 25,700 carers under the age of 25 in South Australia.

What do young carers do?

Young carers provide care to family members or friends who may have an illness, disability, drug or alcohol problem or are frail or aged. They may help with cleaning or cooking, getting a relative around the house, taking a relative to medical appointments, giving medicines, washing and dressing or just making sure the relative is safe and feeling okay. They may also provide care to younger siblings when a parent is unable to.

Sometimes caring for someone might affect a young person’s wellbeing, especially if they don’t have any support.

Young carers might not be aware that they can access help and support from a number of government and non-government agencies. It’s important they know there's help available if they need it.

Further information

• National Young Carers
• Young Carer Bursary program
• National Carer Gateway
• SA Government Carers information
• Carer Support Network SA
• Carers SA
• NDIS information for carers

Publications (from Carers Australia)

• Supporting Families, Supporting Young Carers (PDF 4 MB)
• Who Cares? We Do (PDF 4.9MB)
• Supporting young carers in secondary schools (PDF 4.4 MB)