Young carers
Spurgeons Young Carers
At Spurgeons, we provide support and help for young carers who care for a family member with an illness or disability, because all children deserve a childhood.
Spurgeons provides young carer support for over 800 young people aged 5 to 18 through our Young Carers service in Birmingham.
We work in partnership with other agencies to support young people with caring responsibilities individually and within their families in a range of ways, including:
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Information, advice and practical help for the family
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Time out through groups, trips and activities
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Education, training and homework support
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One-to-one tailored support
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Transition and mentoring
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Counselling services
Make a referral
Anyone can make a referral to Birmingham Young Carers Unite.
Referrals are followed up with a home visit to assess the level of care being provided.
You can either complete the referral form with as many details as you can and:
email it back to birminghamyc@spurgeons.org or return it to our office.
You can also contact us on 0121 638 0876 to have any questions answered.
Our aims are to provide support for young carers and create opportunities for young people in caring roles to have fun and take a break from their responsibilities.
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Regular groups which offer opportunities to develop friendships and share similar life experiences.
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We provide trips and activities during the school holidays to a variety of places that they might not be able to visit with their family.
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Structured 1-1 programmes, if needed, to help young carers to explore how they feel about their caring role, and providing strategies to help them manage their responsibilities.
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Additional group sessions around issues like mental health, wellbeing and transition.
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Delivering training to schools to raise awareness.
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School assemblies and PSHE lessons to raise awareness with pupils in your school.
Over the years you’ve given my girls such amazing support and the most wonderful experiences. I cannot thank you enough
Contact us
The Spurgeons team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our young carers support. You can get in touch with us through the following options:
Call or email us to get in touch and find out how we could help you:
What is a young carer?
Young carers are children and young people between the ages of 5 and 18 who have a significant caring role for a family member.
Information for professionals
Social workers and professionals within an education setting such as teachers or support staff have been widely recognised as the people who are potentially most likely to identify hidden young carers. Explore how you can support a young carer:
Frequently asked questions about Spurgeons Young Carers Services:
What is the average age of a young carer?
The average age of a young carer is 12 years old. Young carers often have to take on responsibilities beyond their years, by supporting a family member.
What responsibilities do young carers have?
Young carers take on a range of responsibilities to support a family member. This can include practical tasks, providing emotional support, and financial responsibilities to name a few. For more information, explore what young carers do.
Further young carer support from the Spurgeons Team:
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What is a young carer?What is a young carer?
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Information for professionalsInformation for professionals
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CounsellingCounselling
More helpful information
