CARER CONNECT

I am more than a carer.

Young carers haven’t been given a platform. Welcome to your platform.

CARERS COMMUNITY

Connect with others who share your experience. Together we are stronger.

PROFESSIONAL HELP

Connect with a professional adviser who can provide one to one advice, specific to you and those you care for.

SELF HELP ADVICE

Webinars and tutorials to help you take hold of your life, delivered by professionals.

By young carers, for young carers.

18 year old Georgia has helped to care for her mother for the past 10 years. Her mother has a personality disorder and a physical disability. . Georgia thinks that her caring responsibilities have increased with age as her mother has become more dependent on her, particularly about decision-making, which she finds very stressful. Georgia recently left home to start a medical degree at a nearby university where she is thriving on new challenges and making new friends. Her degree choice was greatly influenced by her experiences as a carer because she had had frequent contact with doctors, not all of it good, but she is determined to make a difference to the lives of others.

By young carers, for young carers.

Daniel, aged 18, lived up until recently with his parents, older brother and younger sister. He is enjoying studying at university although he likes to return home on a fortnightly basis. He has helped to care for his sister since he was aged 12 years. She has autism, Asperger Syndrome and learning difficulties. Due to the presence of other family members, responsibility for supporting his sister has been shared and this has made it much easier for Daniel to move away to university and hold down a part-time job. Daniel does not think his school life or health have been negatively affected by caring although he has found his sister’s mood swings and behaviour quite difficult to cope with at times. Of all the caring tasks Daniel does for his sister he would prefer not to give her medication as he worries about the responsibility.

By young carers, for young carers.

Ella, aged 20, lives with her mother who has suffered with ME for the past 12 years. Although Ella is one of several siblings, it is she who has assisted with the care of her mother and her sister since she was 8 years old. Ella thinks caring resulted in her maturing early and has helped her understand the impacts of disability and discrimination. Because Ella’s mother employs her own carers, Ella’s main caring responsibilities are to assist with shopping, as well as provide companionship and support for her mother with other daily living activities. Ella was a high achiever at school. She is now employed as a nursery nurse and intends to qualify as an early years practitioner. Her strong desire to work with children, a lack of self-confidence coupled with anxiety about leaving her mother, all influenced her decision to turn down a scholarship at a university outside her hometown.

By young carers, for young carers.

David is an 18 year old young man currently employed in a warehouse job on a temporary basis. He lives with his parents, younger brother and sister. Aged 13 years, David took on caring responsibilities for his mother after she suffered a stroke and seizures. She was left unable to walk and relied heavily on David for domestic help, personal care and to look after his siblings as David’s father was working long hours. David thinks that because of caring he has learnt to cope with difficult situations and he has consequently matured. The downside of caring was that his schooling suffered due to a high level of absences and this factor coupled with his dyslexia, meant he did not achieve academically, which he regrets.

Carers Community

Talk with other carers about your experiences, crowd-source solutions to your problems.

Match with people one-on-one, talk with local groups or start up completely new channels based on your interests.

Join The Community

Professional Help

We understand how difficult it is to fit in GP and social work around the people you care for.

Click 'talk to a professional' to talk to them over the phone or to be able to instant message them for professional advice.

If you're also need help applying for grants or writing a CV you can chat with the relevant people here.

Talk to a Professional

Our Professionals

John Smith, 28

I am a graphic designer with a passion for helping young people make better financial decisions. I also runs a blog providing basic financial advice to spur people to kickstart their journey towards financial independence. Speak to me about managing your budget and building savings.

Mary Brown, 39

I have been a chef for 13 years. I first started work as a vegetable peeler at a local pub while finishing high school to supplement my family’s income, and subsequently set up my own restaurant that was awarded its first Michelin star last year. Speak to me about a culinary career and managing other responsibilities.

Jack Frost, 30

I used to care for my grandmother who had dementia until i was 27, and am now training as a healthcare assistant at a hospital in London, meaning I help doctors and nurses with basic procedures such as taking blood. Have a chat with me about building a life besides caring and careers in healthcare.

Self Help Resources

We took all of the resources you said you needed and put them in one, easy to access place.

See step-by-step guides here that range from applying for your allowance, to recipes and the most upvoted advice we have as a community.

We've got masterclasses by Michelin-starred chefs, Danny Devito memes and programming classes.

See something missing? Drop a post in the forum and if others agree, we'll update the page within 24 hours to contain the ideas you're passionate about.

Improve Yourself

Who We Are

We are a group of researchers and students at Cambridge aiming to address some of the unmet needs and concerns of young carers.

Our hope is that this online platform that we have developed will allow young carers a chance to learn new skills, seek professional support, as well as create a sense of community for young carers across the country.

We’re open to feedback and improving the platform, so please let us know what you think by clicking one of the icons below or email us at contactcarerconnect@gmail.com