Many children and teenagers care for a parent, sibling or other relative who is ill, disabled, or struggles with their mental health or addiction. These young carers often go unrecognised, yet there is support available for them and their families. This guide explains what help young carers can get, including benefits, assessments and practical support, and how to find it.
Who is a young carer?
A young carer is someone under 18 who helps look after a family member who could not manage without their help. This might mean helping with personal care, cooking, housework, managing medication, looking after younger siblings, or providing emotional support. Many young carers take on a great deal of responsibility, sometimes without anyone outside the family realising, and it can affect their schooling, friendships and wellbeing.
Can a young carer get Carer's Allowance?
Carer's Allowance can only be claimed from the age of 16, and the young person must also meet the other rules, including caring for at least 35 hours a week and not being in full-time education of 21 hours or more a week. This means most young carers, especially those still at school, cannot claim Carer's Allowance, because their education rules them out. However, other support is available, and the family's benefits may be able to recognise the situation.
Young carers' assessments
A young carer has the right to a young carer's assessment from their local council, which looks at the caring they do and the support they and their family need. The aim is to make sure a child is not taking on inappropriate or excessive caring, and to put support in place, whether that is help for the person being cared for, support for the young carer, or both. Asking for an assessment is an important step, and schools and councils can help arrange one.
Support through the family's benefits
Although a young carer cannot usually claim Carer's Allowance, the family may be able to claim other support. The person being cared for should make sure they are receiving any disability benefits they are entitled to, which can increase the household's income. An adult in the household who cares for the same person may be able to claim Carer's Allowance or the carer element of Universal Credit. A full benefits check for the household is well worth doing.
Help at school and college
Caring responsibilities can affect a young person's education, so it is important that their school or college knows. Many have a designated person responsible for young carers who can offer understanding and practical help, such as flexibility with homework deadlines, a quiet place to catch up, or someone to talk to. For older students, there may be support with the cost of study, and universities increasingly recognise young adult carers.
Young carers in Scotland
In Scotland, there is specific support for young carers. The Young Carer Grant is an annual payment from Social Security Scotland for carers aged 16, 17 and 18 who care for someone for an average of at least 16 hours a week and do not receive Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment. Young carers in Scotland also have the right to a young carer statement, which is similar to an assessment and sets out the support they need.
Practical and emotional support
Beyond benefits, there are organisations and local services dedicated to young carers, offering breaks, activities, someone to talk to, and help navigating the system. Caring can be isolating for a young person, so connecting with a young carers' service can make a real difference, giving them time to be a child or young person as well as a carer, and reassurance that they are not alone.
Looking after the young carer's future
It is important that caring does not damage a young person's own prospects. Making sure they get support, that their caring is not excessive, and that their education and wellbeing are protected, helps safeguard their future. Families, schools and councils all have a part to play, and asking for help early is far better than letting a young carer struggle alone, so reach out to the services available.
Spotting a young carer
Young carers are often hidden, and many do not think of themselves as carers at all; they are simply helping their family. Signs can include tiredness, missing school, struggling to keep up with work, or having little time for friends and activities. Recognising a young carer is the first step to getting them support, so if you are a teacher, relative or family friend who notices these signs, gently raising it and pointing the family towards help can make a real difference.
Young adult carers
Once a young carer turns 18, or reaches 16 and meets the rules, they may be able to claim Carer's Allowance or, in Scotland, Carer Support Payment, provided they are not in full-time education that rules them out. Young adult carers moving into work, college or university face particular challenges, and there is growing support for them, including bursaries and understanding from education providers. It is worth checking what financial help and support are available at this stage.
Supporting the whole family
The best way to help a young carer is often to make sure the whole family is properly supported, so that the child does not have to carry too much. This means ensuring the person being cared for receives the right care and benefits, and that any adult carer in the household gets their own support. When the family has enough help, the pressure on the young carer eases, which protects their childhood, education and wellbeing.
Breaks and time to be young
One of the most valuable forms of support for a young carer is simply time off from caring: a chance to take part in activities, see friends, and be a young person. Young carers' services often provide exactly this, alongside someone to talk to who understands. If you are a young carer, or you know one, seeking out these services can be as important as any benefit, because protecting a young person's childhood and wellbeing matters enormously.
In short
Young carers under 16 cannot claim Carer's Allowance, and most older students cannot either because of the education rules, but there is real support available: young carers' assessments, help through the family's benefits, school and college support, and, in Scotland, the Young Carer Grant. Asking for an assessment is the key first step.
Ask for help early
The most important thing for any young carer or their family is to ask for help early rather than struggling on alone. Schools, councils and young carers' services would far rather know and help than have a young person quietly fall behind. Reaching out, whether to a teacher, a local young carers' service, or the council's social care team, is the first step to getting support, and it is a sign of strength, not failure.
Where to get help
Support for young carers is available from local young carers' services, Carers Trust, and your local council, as well as the young person's school. For the family's wider entitlements, see our guides to Carer's Allowance and the carer element of Universal Credit.