You may do some or all of the following:
- look after brothers or sisters
- do housework, cook meals or do the shopping
- comfort somone when they are upset or listen when they want to talk about how they are feeling
- help someone in the family who is ill to get dressed, wash or use the toilet
- give them their medicine
- worry about someone a lot of the time.
How you feel
It can feel good to help someone in your family who you love, but sometimes it can feel too much to cope with. You might worry all the time or feel stressed and tired. You might feel angry with the person you look after, or with someone else in your family.
You may find it useful to read our "guide for young carers".
Talk to someone
Try telling your parents, or another family member, how you feel. They may not realise that you are feeling unhappy or tired. If it is difficult to talk to your parents, write down what you want to say in a diary, a poem or a letter.
You could also:
- Phone ChildLine on 0800 1111 to talk about your problems
- Email a youth worker at the Princess Royal Trust for Carers at youngcarers@carers.org
- Join a young carers chat room or discussion board on the Internet to ask questions, or simply chat with other young carers. Try the chat room at www.youngcarers.net
If your family gets help from a social worker, you could talk to them about how much caring you do. You could also talk to a doctor or nurse.
It might help if your school knows what you are going through so they can help you if you can't get your homework in on time or have other problems at school.
Meet up with other young carers
Young Carers Projects sometimes organise days out or run clubs for young carers. They have workers who will listen to you. You can also meet other young people who live near you who are going through the same thing.
Visit the Young Carers Initiative website run by the Children's Society to find your nearest Young Carers Project.
