Family Carers Ireland

Family Carers Ireland is the national charity supporting the 500,000+ family carers across the country who care for loved ones such as children or adults with additional needs, physical or intellectual disabilities, frail older people, those with palliative care needs or those living with chronic illnesses, mental health challenges or addiction. 

Our vision is an Ireland in which family carers and young carers are properly recognised, supported and empowered. Our mission is to highlight the contribution of family carers to Irish society and to improve the lives of family carers throughout the country. We believe that no one should have to care alone.

Young Carers

Young carers are children and young people under the age of 18 whose lives are in some way affected because they provide care, assistance or support to another family member in the home. Young adult carers are recognised as a separate group and are aged between 18 and 24 years.

The person they care for can be a parent, sibling, grandparent or other relative who needs care, support or supervision because of disability, chronic illness, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse.

Young carers may undertake practical tasks like:

• Cooking
• Housework
• Shopping
• Caring for siblings.

They may also:

• Provide personal care such as helping their loved one dress, bathe or use the bathroom;
• Provide physical support such as using hoists or helping their loved one walk or use the stairs; 
• Provide emotional support when their loved one gets down or is distressed.

Many young carers enjoy caring, they’re proud of who they are and what they do and that they’ve built up a whole range of useful skills.

Sometimes though, young carers say that caring can affect how they feel, how much time they get to spend with friends, or their school work, and that often they need some help.

Many people who care for a loved one do not see themselves as being young carers. They think of themselves as a family member, a brother, a sister, a son, or a daughter and can presume that all families provide this sort of support. As a result, they often don’t realise that there is help available to them.

Young Carer Service

Young Carer Service provided by Family Carers Ireland is here to support young carers. We offer a range of services, including online and in-person groups, one-to-one support, counselling, workshops & training, events and activities, respite activity breaks, and programmes to help young carers succeed in school and beyond.

Young Carer Groups

Our network of Young Carer Groups offer a supportive and welcoming environment for young carers to meet and share their caring experiences. We have both in-person and online groups available, so you can choose the option that best suits you. Our groups provide opportunities for young carers to connect with others who understand their experiences and offer a space for having fun and building friendships.

Young Carer Wellbeing Service

One to one support is provided to young carers through our Young Carer Well-being Service. It is available to young people aged 10-24 years whose caring responsibilities are having a significant impact on them.

It allows you to speak with a Support Manager about any issues about your caring role that is worrying you or other areas of your life that it might be impacting i.e. school, family/friend issues, time for yourself, etc... You may work with your Support Manager towards achieving a particular goal, or a number of different outcomes and goals. Our Young Carer Well-being Service is only provided following an assessment which you can set up by completing this form.

In some cases, the Support Manager will work with parents and families to identify and connect with other services that may be able to provide support.

Young Carer Counselling Service

We offer a one to one counselling service to young carers who are aged 10 and over.

Caring or helping to care for a loved one can be challenging and many young carers experience a range of feelings about their caring role.

You might feel happy, worried, guilty, upset, frustrated, isolated, stressed or angry and at times you might be unsure of how to deal with all these emotions. it is common for young caregivers to encounter a variety of emotions related to their caregiving responsibilities.

Our counselling service offers you the opportunity to discuss your feelings and experiences with a professional counsellor who can provide you with guidance and support.

Each counselling session is 50 minutes long and you can have up to 6 sessions. After this, you review with the counsellor and you may decide to continue with a further 6 sessions.

Our Counselling Service is only provided following an assessment

Workshops and Training

We offer a range of workshops and training opportunities to help young carers develop their skills and build confidence. Our workshops cover topics such as self-care, communication, and goal-setting, while our training programmes provide practical skills for everyday life. Family Carers Ireland has also developed a suite of eLearning courses to give young carers information and guidance on the topics of Minding your Mental Health, Self-Care for Young Carers, Assertiveness for Young Carers and Understanding Stress and Anxiety for Young Carers. Each course provides an introduction and overview of the topic, and allows you to work through the information at a time and pace that suits you.

Sibshops

Sibshops are fun workshops for siblings of children with special needs. As well as having lots of fun Sibshops provide a great opportunity for siblings to get together and chat about some of the difficulties and the positives of having a brother or sister with additional needs.

Events

We organise regular events to raise awareness about young carers and provide opportunities for young carers to socialise and have fun in a supportive and welcoming environment. Our national events for young carers include an annual Young Carer Respite Weekend, Young Carers Action Day and Carer of the Year Awards.

Respite Activity Breaks

We offer respite activity breaks to give young carers a break from their caring responsibilities and an opportunity to relax and have fun. Our activity breaks include a range of activities, such as fun days out, creative workshops and outdoor activities.

Programmes

We offer a range of programmes to support young carers in their education and future careers. Our programmes include Young Carers in School, which provides support to young carers in second level education, Going Further Going Higher, which offers information and guidance to young adult carers on further education, and Care2Work, which provides support and training to help young adult carers enter the workforce.

If you are a young carer looking for support and assistance, please get in touch with Family Carers Ireland's Young Carer Service. We are here to help you every step of the way.

Free Young Carer Card

Our FREE Young Carers Card gives young people with caring responsibilities aged 10-24 years access to a variety of great deals and discounts including offers from SkyPark, Zipit Forest Adventure, Grafton Barbers, Omniplex Cinemas, Gym Plus and many more.

The card can also be used as proof of caring responsibilities for schools, colleges and health services.

In order to be eligible, you must:

• Be aged 10 – 24 years
• Care for or help to care for a family member or friend
• Have consent from a parent/guardian to apply if you are under 18

Contact Us

Phone: 1800 24 07 24

Email: youngcarers@familycarers.ie

Website: www.familycarers.ie