Sport Relief 2012 has launched and this year it’s set to be huge. Here, we look at the issue of young people who care for a family member and how money raised through Sport Relief is helping to improve their lives.

What is a young carer?

A young carer is someone under 18 years old who helps look after one of their relatives – usually a parent, brother or sister with a disability, illness or a mental health condition.

The average age of a young carer is 12 years old.

In 2001, there were 175,000 recorded young carers in the UK. However, a survey in 2010 revealed that there may actually be more than 700,000 young carers in the country.

What do they do?

A young carer offers support in both emotional and physical ways. Most of the time, they will have a range of jobs to do outside of their regular life. They may have to help out around the home, like doing the laundry or cooking for their family or assisting them in getting dressed or taking their medicine. Some of these duties might sound like things other young people do to help out at home. However, a young carer has a different level of responsibility.

These responsibilities mean a young carer must juggle their school work, friends and home life – which can often be overwhelming. Many young carers have little free time, because they are needed at home.

In fact, almost 13,000 of the UK’s young carers dedicate more than 50 hours a week to their caring duties – that’s more than the average working week for one adult!

The impact

Caring is very hard on a young person’s life, especially if they don’t get a break from their duties. They can sometimes feel embarrassed about being a carer. Some children miss school to care for someone, which has a long-term impact on their education. Almost a third of young carers aged 11-16 experience educational difficulties.

How Sport Relief helps

Sport Relief is part of Comic Relief. Since 2006, Comic Relief has funded projects that help young carers access support, as well as organising leisure time and activities away from home so they can enjoy a well-deserved break.

From residential retreats to weekly activity sessions where they can meet with other young carers, the money raised by you for Comic Relief can directly improve the lives of young carers across the country.

Daniel’s story 

Daniel, 11, helps to look after his older brother Jamie, who has blindness, speech and mobility issues.

Caring for Jamie is a 24/7 job for the whole family, so now Daniel helps out with the cooking and laundry. When Jamie is home from school, Daniel helps him get ready and entertains him.

Living in rural Scotland, he doesn’t always get the chance to go out with his friends.

Fortunately, through the Comic Relief funded Angus Young Carers project, Daniel has met other young carers like him. He takes part in their creative sessions and can talk to a project worker privately if he wants. He also took part in an educational programme providing information for young carers.

“I learned how to do first aid here at the carer’s centre, which was awesome,” he says. “It’s so, if Jamie has a problem, I can put him somewhere safe and know how to look after him.”

“It’s quite hard for him,” says mum Donna. “The Young Carers’ groups are so good because he can go there and have fun, and be with other young people in a similar situation to him.”

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