More Support For Young Carers In East Yorkshire
Almost half of young carers say they suffer social isolation.
More support's being offered to young carers in our region to help them overcome the social isolation they often feel.
Almost half of young carers say the role leaves them feeling lonely.
Now - a new support service has been set up in East Yorkshire to help tackle the problem. The East Riding Carers Support Service will give young carers the chance to meet and interact with others in the same situation.
16-year-old Emily Drinkhall has been looking after her partially disabled mum since she was just 5 years old and is now her full-time carer.
She says she often feels isolated and lonely. She says far too many young people are caring for a loved one - but not getting the right help for it:
"I didn't realise I was doing a job that could access support because I grew up with it so for me it was a social norm but for other people, they are surprised about how much I'm doing. Not many people do understand how difficult it is for a 5-year-old to be doing that kind of work.
"There are people as young as 4 doing this kind of job and they're not recognised for it because we are not paid to do it so though the services we have in place now are really good, there could always be improvement on that, particuarly more of the mental welfare for the young carer aswell rather than just taking them away for a few hours.
"I find it really hard to interact with people because I was always at home, I never had friends to go out and play with so social interaction is quite hard and college is terrifying because I'm not used to how people are because I've only ever been with my mother.
"No-one else had a mum like mine, they could go out and play whereas I had to stay and look after mum, look after the house and my siblings and do things that a normal adult would be doing at the age of 5 so it was quite difficult and I felt really, really alone.
"I also got bullied and one girl bullied me right from Year 3 to Year 6 until we left for different schools and that was really hard because I was doing something good so why was I being punished for doing that?"
Councillor Richard Harrap, portfolio holder for adult and carer services, said:
“Caring for someone can be an incredibly difficult role which can leave the carer feeling isolated and alone. This can be especially true for younger carers who may feel as though they are missing out on having a ‘normal’ youth.
“The East Riding Carers Support Service is an invaluable source of support for the thousands of carers living in the area who are facing the challenges that come with caring for someone, including young carers.
“I would encourage any young carer out there who would like to socialise more and meet other carers in similar situations to get involved in this new support group.”