We’re proud to support anyone in Leeds who provides unpaid care for another person, but we know that not all carers need that same support. So, we have a wide range of specialist services to meet the individual needs of carers throughout Leeds.

Each month we’re going to introduce one of our services and this month is the YAC service….

Hello, my name is Grace and I am a young adult carer support worker. Our service supports carers between 16 and 25 years old living in Leeds caring for a friend or family member with an illness, disability or addiction. We provide one on one and group support sessions giving information, advice and emotional support.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis we have continued to support carers over the phone and online which has worked well, although we are missing the pizza parties and seeing everyone’s faces! We’ll continue to offer this support for the rest of the year and are available to help any new carers that would like to access the service. The number of people caring over the last few months has dramatically increased so we want every young adult carer to know that you are not alone, and we are here to help.

Young adult carers support group, taking place on Zoom.

What’s new?

In August we started to implement some changes to the service to make it more effective, for more people. As before, carers will be allocated a specialist young adult carer support worker who will offer one to one advice and support around your caring role.  From this month, those session will now be six one-hour structured sessions to help carers meet their goals and improve areas they feel need addressing. Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are currently delivering our one to one support either via telephone or zoom (video call). We’ve found this remote support has benefited more carers as they can fit these calls in around other responsibilities.

What should I expect from the service?

You can expect staff at Carers Leeds to be non-judgemental, friendly, and to always keep strict confidentiality. We know that being a carer often means last minute changes to your plans but we ask our carers to attend their appointments on time, and if you can’t, to contact your worker to let them know. 

As with our other services, this support is for the young adult and not for the person they care for. However, we often find that by carers making changes, we see a positive impact for the cared for person  too.  

We also offer support groups at Carers Leeds. Over the last year, our young adult carers have reviewed our previous group guidelines and have developed new ones that each young person must adhere to when attending. The group is open to any young adult carer and we run regular activities, workshops and trips. Due to COVID-19 our groups are currently via zoom but we do hope that when it is safe to do so we can meet again face to face.

How can I keep up to date with changes?

Our bi-monthly YAC newsletter is a great way to keep informed about what we are getting up and how to get involved. You can subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page: carersleeds.org.uk/our-support-service/young-adult-carers

You can also follow our twitter for updates: @YACarersleeds.    

How can I get support?

If you are a carer aged 16 – 25 or you want to access support, call our advice line on: 0113 380 4300 or email advice@carersleeds.org.uk.

If you’re working with a young adult carer and would like to make a referral, contact our advice line on: 0113 380 4300 or fill in this referral form.