The responsibilities of young and young adult carers vary greatly, so you may be eligible for support, even if you don’t feel like you do a lot of caring. If you think that you might be a young or young adult carer, please get in touch with us or one of the organisations below.
Events
Check out links below for local events.
Information
Children's First Response Hub
This is the main service for young carers who care for someone within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) area.
The Children’s Service First Response Hub provides the public and professionals with advice, information and support for children who are vulnerable and at risk and is made up of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and Early Help Team.
Tel: 01202 735046
Email: [email protected]
Carer Support Dorset
This is the main service for young carers who care for someone in the Dorset Council area.
CSD help carers to access services, information, education and training, respite, and breaks from their caring role. They ensure carers have a voice that is heard and work with health and social care professionals and employers to raise carer awareness and develop best practice.
Website: www.carersupportdorset.co.uk
Carer Support Dorset Tel: 0800 3688349
Email: [email protected]
MYTime Young Carers
Works with older young carers, sibling carers and with children of substance misusing parents.
MYTime supports Young Carers aged 5 to 18 years and has recently received funding to work with young adult carers aged 18 to 25 who are unemployed. The charity also works with sibling carers. The charity currently works across Dorset but is starting to form some wider partnerships. They offer residential and day events for Young Carers. They also provide educational talks in schools and will talk to Young Carers groups.
They can also provide some support around independent living and runs a ZOOM youth group that currently meets 3 times a week. All Young Carers are welcome to take part in this.
Mytime can work with schools to support in the following way:
- To provide CPD to staff on how to identify and support young carers
- To help schools set up a young carer support programme
- To provide young carers with access to tutoring to support them academically through the Connie Rothman Learning Trust
- To provide young carers with access to counselling to support their emotional needs through the Leonardo Trust
- To provide young carers with the chance to take part in our Making Memories Programme or a stay at our R&R Centre
- They run a weekly online youth group for young carers to help create community and reduce feelings of isolation
- To deliver whole school assemblies to raise awareness of young carers
There are also on-line resources for young carers: Resource Toolbox (mytimeyoungcarers.org)
Contact Employability Programme Director Emma Fry to find out more: [email protected]
The main contact for MYTime is Krista Cartlidge – Executive Director Tel: 07971 071871
Honeypot
Provides residential and day opportunities for young carers aged 5-12 years, works with sibling carers and with children of substance misusing parents.
Since 1996 Honeypot has been working to enhance the lives of young carers aged 5-12 years by providing respite breaks and on-going outreach support. In the UK nationwide, we give young carers a break from demanding and stressful responsibilities at home and provide a safe, nurturing environment where children at risk can develop their full potential.
Honeypot operates two beautiful residential respite houses, Honeypot House Hampshire in the New Forest, and Honeypot Pen y Bryn in Mid-Wales. Honeypot House welcomes children from London and counties ranging from Dorset north to Buckinghamshire and down to East Sussex, while Honeypot Pen y Bryn welcomes children from Wales, the Midlands, west and north-west England.
Respite breaks form the core of our work. Delivered across two sites, one at our Honeypot House Hampshire in the New Forest, the other at Pen y Bryn in Mid-Wales, breaks consist of a three-day, two-night stay. The breaks offer the children some much needed, protected time to play, enable them to make new friends and explore their surroundings and free them of their usual caring commitments.
Through online workshops and face-to-face support, our outreach support aims to alleviate social isolation through various activities and remote workshops in art, drama, dance and photography.
As an integral part of our Wrap-Around service, we provide small grants to young carers from deprived backgrounds for life’s essential items, such as a new washing machine or school materials.
Note: Honeypot are only able to take new referrals from professionals, so schools or Local Authority Officers can refer.
Contact: Steve Robinson (Operational Manager): [email protected] or [email protected]
Tel: 023 8089 0002 ext 29.
The Leonardo Trust
Works with all age group carers, sibling carers, children of substance misusing parents and provide one to one counseling support and funding to support a young carer’s hobbies,
The Leonardo Trust is an independent charity set up in 2001 to help people in Dorset who care for a sick or disabled relative or friend at home. The organisation offers support for all age groups.
They currently have a COVID helpline that Young Carers can phone for support. The organisation is very flexible and usually offer face to face counselling. Telephone counselling comprising an assessment, followed by 6 sessions is also available. Young Carers can also have check-in support as required e.g. a weekly check-in.
The trust will also fund hobbies that Young Carers may want to do at home e.g. Xbox subscription, arts and craft materials etc. Normally they fund hobbies that involve going out e.g. clubs etc.
The trust is currently offering funding for families in crisis and can provide up to a maximum of £300 cash grant to help with any benefits gaps or hardship. Please note, families cannot self-refer for this and have to be referred by a professional.
The main contact for Young Carers is Emily Stafford. Email [email protected] or [email protected]
Emily Stafford oversees emotional support for young carers and Donna Blanche oversees funding support for young carers.
Tel: 01202 698325 / The Young Carers Helpline number is: 01202 022932
Kooth
KOOTH provide free on-line/text counselling support for young people aged 11 plus. Young people can chat to friendly counsellors, read articles written by young people, get support from the KOOTH community and write in a daily journal.
Web: www.kooth.com
Childline
Is available 24 hrs, 7 days a week.
Call: 0800 1111
Sibs
Sibs provide support for children who are siblings of a disabled child or adult. Young Sibs is specifically aimed at siblings under the age of 18 and their parents. The site has an on-line platform and a chat function for young sibling carers.
Web: www.sibs.org.uk / www.youngsibs.org.uk
Sibs run a youth club for sibling carers. The club operates in the school holidays only. It is open to children and young people aged 5 and a half to 17 at a cost of £5 per day. Children and young people need to register with Sibs before they can attend.
Contact: Seastone House, 49 Alumhurst Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH4 8EP
Tel: 01202 584353
E-mail: [email protected]
The Diverse Abilities Children's Team
They provide a range of services supporting children and young people and their families in Dorset. The aim of the team is to enable families that have children with physical and/or learning disabilities to cope day to day in the knowledge that their child is safe, supported and cared for. Opportunities are also given to siblings to attend play sessions with their brother or sister while parents can benefit from various information and support services. The team offer short breaks during the weekend and overnight, provide practical support in the home and out in the local community, plus holiday, weekend and after-school activities to ensure those young people with disabilities live life to the full. The team also provide day care for young people transitioning to adulthood.
Web: https://diverseabilities.org.uk/children/copingwithchaos