I work with adults
How do I identify a young carer?
If you work with adults, you probably work with some who are parents. Whenever you come across a parent who has a care need because of their disability, illness or substance mis-use problem, ask yourself: Who else looks after my client apart from me? Some parents get their care needs met by adult carers (www.carers.org) or other professionals. But tens of thousands answered a question on the last census to say that their child was also their carer. In all likelihood, many more kept this a secret.
Ask every adult client:
- Who helps care for you at home?
- Do you have children?
- What effect does your health problem have on them?
- How much do they do to help out?
- Do you need more support as a parent?
- Do your children need more support?
