Young carers like adult carers often experience the effects of being needed to care for someone else. However, unlike adult carers, young people who care for a sick or ill family member often find it hard to get the support they need, and to say how they feel.
Young people are still developing - emotionally as well as physically - and one of the biggest issues with young carers is that learning and developmental milestones are sometimes missed. We all know that childhood is important, but the impact for a young carer on education and psychological growth can have a bad effect in later years.
Unfortunately the effects of caring are sometimes ignored or can be interpreted in negative ways. For example, being late for school can be seen as a young person being disorganized or rebellious rather than as someone who has had to take care of someone - or take younger brothers and sisters to school first.
Young carers are often praised for being 'grown up' - but this may hide their own feelings of anger at missing out on 'ordinary everyday things' that children do - such as going out to play with friends or joining after-school clubs etc. Guilt and shame are also typical feelings that can be experienced by young carers who may at times experience a conflict between 'wanting to care' yet feeling angry that it 'has to be me'. This conflict can lead to guilt.
.