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Unpaid Carers

Are you looking after someone who needs your help?

Sometimes, we don't realise that we're actually carers. We might be mums, dads, brothers, sisters, or friends, just doing what anyone would do—looking after our loved ones who needs support. If you're doing this, you're an unpaid carer. There are important things you should know to get advice and support.

Who are Unpaid Carers?

Unpaid carers are people who help their family or friends without getting paid. They take care of someone who needs their help. It's different from a job where someone gets paid to look after others. As an unpaid carer, you might be helping a relative, partner, or friend who is sick, weak, or has problems with their mental health or substance use. Young carers are kids or teens under 18, or young adults aged 18-25, who take care of a family member. That family member could have physical or mental health issues, a disability, or problems with drugs and alcohol.

Supporting Carers and Their Mental Health

Caring for someone with suicidal thoughts When things get difficult, it can be a confusing time, especially for unpaid carers who are looking after someone with suicidal thoughts. This can be distressing and carers told us that knowing where to find resources quickly was important to them. The Health Board partnered with unpaid carers , Papyrus, Samaritans and Adferiad to develop a short video that supports carers who are looking after someone with suicidal thoughts.

You can watch the welsh version here

Supporting Carers in The Workplace

Balancing care and work? If you identify yourself as a carer, we encourage you to speak to your line manager in the first instance. By understanding your caring responsibilities your line manager can work with you to identify how best to support you in the workplace e.g., if you need time off at short notice to support someone you care for or take them to an appointment. The Carers Leave Act (2023) is now UK law. Unpaid carers, you have a statutory right to one week’s unpaid leave per year.

Supporting Carers with Hospital Discharge

We continue to work across the ABUHB partnership to support projects that help carers with hospital discharge processes. This includes carers information hubs across 5 hospital sites.

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Work with Young Carers

Young carers are children and young people (under the age of 18) who look after someone in their family who has an illness, a disability, or is affected by mental ill-health or substance misuse. A young adult carer is aged between 16 and 25. Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.

Young Carers Book

Written by young carers themselves, this book is based on real life young carers experiences. The book is set in a jungle where young Jack who is a parrot, experiences some misadventures when looking after and protecting his little sister Thelma. The rolling emotions of love, care, danger, courage acceptance and friendships gives confidence to others in the jungle to support one another and prove that they are not alone in caring and that being different is just simply amazing. Young carers said “The book will help young carers, teachers and others to show everybody It’s Cool to Care” and “You don’t have to be a young carer to enjoy this book. Anyone can read it and it will help get you thinking about young carers”

Young Carers in school's programme

We are working hard to help support young carers in school. We've put a lot of effort into making sure they get the support they need. We know that sometimes Young carers have a tough time balancing their caring with school so it’s really important we have systems to understand, inform, identify, support, and listen to young carers.

There are so many things we do to support, we:

  • Teach school staff and students about the challenges young carers face.
  • Offer training for school staff who support schools in Gwent.
  • Have given all schools a young carers in schools policy.
  • Have assembly videos and resources in English and Welsh for students and staff.
  • Give information to school governors to help them understand the needs of young carers.
  • Send letters to families with details on how to get young carer services and assessments locally.

Young Carers ID cards

All Local authorities in Wales including Gwent have Young Carers ID card scheme. This scheme helps young carers be identified. Each area will have a different card design, but all cards will show the same logo.

you can watch the welsh version here

If you are a young carer and want an ID card, please get in touch with your local authority Carers Team.