young carers nsw program
DESCRIPTION
Presentation by Elena to the Young People in Libraries NSW statewide working group meeting 21 September 2011, State Library of NSWTRANSCRIPT
Carers NSW
Young Carer Program www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au
1800 242 636
Who are Young Carers? Young carers are children and young
people under the age of 26 who care for and support a family member who has a disability, chronic condition, terminal illness, mental illness or who has a drug or alcohol dependency.
The person they help care for may be a parent, sibling, grandparent, other relative, or friend.
Statistics
There are approximately 304,800* young carers (1 out of every 20 people under 25) in Australia.
Approximately 100,200* young carers under 25 live in NSW.
Carers NSW Young Carers Program currently has 3,233 Young Carer members throughout NSW.
*(SDAC 2009)
What are some of the things Young Carers do?
Personal Care Feeding
Bathing
Dressing
Medication management
Lifting / moving
Toileting
Grooming
Household Care Shopping
Cleaning
Paying bills
Repairs
Gardening
Cooking
Washing
Emotional Support Listen
Provide encouragement
Attend appointments
Monitor moods and behaviours
The impacts of caring • PHYSICAL Heavy lifting and carrying out
household tasks like cooking and cleaning, can put strain on developing bodies.
• EMOTIONAL Young Carers might feel worried, anxious or stressed out when they are with, or away from, the person they care for. They may also feel guilt, anger, trapped, isolated or misunderstood.
• SOCIAL Young Carers may not have time
to hang out with friends and take part in after school activities and are at higher risk of being bullied.
• EDUCATIONAL Young Carers are at higher risk of not completing their education and therefore face more obstacles when entering the workforce.
Positive aspects of caring • CARING SKILLS Young Carers
develop caring skills which they often use in future employment, for example, social work or nursing.
• MATURITY Young Carers are often very mature for their age.
• CLOSE FAMILY BONDS Young Carers are often very close to the family members they care for.
HIDDEN CARERS Looking behind the BEHAVIOUR
to see the YOUNG CARER
LAZY? Looks like…. • Falling asleep in class • Hasn’t done homework
• Attention wandering
• Finding it difficult to concentrate
• Poor attendance
LAZY? Looks like…. • Falling asleep in class • Hasn’t done homework
• Attention wandering
• Finding it difficult to concentrate
• Poor attendance
Could be…. • Up all night taking care
of a sick sibling
• Has to cook, clean, prepare lunches and get siblings ready for school every day
• Parent has depression
and won’t let young carer leave home to go to school
• Has to take on an after
school job in order to help support the family financially
SHOW OFF? Looks Like….
• Attention seeking
• Ambitious
• Class clown
• Bullying
SHOW OFF? Looks Like….
• Attention seeking
• Ambitious
• Class clown
• Bullying
Could Be….
• Sibling with a disability needs extra parental attention
• Own needs not being
acknowledged at home
• Anticipatory grief for terminally ill family member
Looks like….
• Not included in peer activities
• Victim of bullying
• Works/sits alone • Doesn’t have friends over to the house
LONER?
Looks like….
• Not included in peer activities
• Victim of bullying
• Works/sits alone • Doesn’t have friends over to the house
LONER? Could be….
• Never learnt how to
relate to own age group
• Fear of being teased about mum who has a mental illness
• Doesn’t know how to
assert own needs • Has had no opportunity
to learn social skills • Too embarrassed to
invite friends home
NEGLECTED? Looks Like…. • Unclean clothing • Lack of / ill-fitting
uniform or suitable clothing
• Inadequate food
• No finances for
excursions, etc
• Unkempt appearance
NEGLECTED? Could Be….
• Demands of caring role
means there is no time to do washing
• Cost of medication results
in financial hardship
• Parent with back injury can’t do the shopping
• High needs of disabled sibling means no attention given to needs of young carer
Looks Like….
• Unclean clothing • Lack of / ill-fitting
uniform or suitable clothing
• Inadequate food
• No finances for
excursions, etc
• Unkempt appearance
PRECOCIOUS? Looks like....
• Talks in an adult way
• Used to taking control
• Has a lot of knowledge about disability/illness
• Is said to have a “caring nature”
PRECOCIOUS? Looks like....
• Talks in an adult way
• Used to taking control
• Has a lot of knowledge about disability/illness
• Is said to have a “caring nature”
Could be.... • Used to liaising with
service providers at home
• May have to take on some responsibilities that are considered ‘parental’
• Used to taking the lead
in decision making
• May have to make important medical decisions on behalf of parent
DRAMA QUEEN? Looks Like….
• Crying • Over-reacting
• Anger
• Moodiness
• Teen angst
DRAMA QUEEN? Looks Like….
• Crying • Over-reacting
• Anger
• Moodiness
• Teen angst
Could be….
• Not coping with caring responsibilities
• Worried/anxious about person requiring care
• Too embarrassed to ask for help
• Guilt about wanting own life
• Depression about future
What does the Young Carer Team do? The NSW Young Carer Program was created to:
• be a central point of contact for young carers to access information and be referred to appropriate services.
• support young carers through counselling, either on the telephone or face-to-face.
• keep young carers informed via the young carer website and through the quarterly newsletter YC News and monthly YC E-News.
• raise public awareness of young carer issues and help to educate people about what it means to be a young carer.
• develop networks throughout the state and nationally to improve services for young carers and their families.
• Offer opportunities and training to young carers who want to advocate for and raise awareness of young carers as a Young Carer Representative
Young Carer Program: Age Ratio 1%
17%
40%
42%
< 8
8-12
13-17
18-25
Young Carer Program: Cultural
47%
41%
5% 7%
Unknown
Australian
ATSI
CALD
Young Carer Program: Region Central Coast
Central West
Cumberland/prospect
Far North Coast
Hunter
Illawarra
Inner West
Mid North Coast
Nepean
New England
North Sydney
Orana Far West
Riverina Murray
Sth East Sydney
Sth West Sydney
Southern Highlands
Other
Young Carer Program: Caring Situation
14%
7%
7%
27%
Autism Cancer
Cerebral Palsy Chrinic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Illness Dementia/Alzheimers
Diabetes Disability Developmental
Disability Physical Emphysema
Head Injury (traumatic brain injury) Hearing impairment
Heart Problems HIV/AIDS
Huntingtons Disease Incontinence
Intellectual Disability Kidney problems
Mental Illness Motor Neurone Disease
Multiple Sclerosis Muscular Dystrophy
Non-traumatic brain injury Pallative Care
Parkinsons Disease Spinal Cord Injury
Stroke Visual Impairment
Other
Young Carer Website www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au
• Join the YC Club
• YC Chat (discussion room)
• Ask a question
• Post a story or poem
• News - activities & supports
• Media stories about young carers
• Young carer fact sheets
• Useful contact numbers
YC News YC News is sent out every 3 months by post and includes:
• News updates
• Young carer stories
• Competitions
• Photos
• Quick and easy recipes
• Stories about types of illness
or disabilities
• Counselling information
• And much more!!!
Young Carer E-News YC E-News is sent out monthly via email and includes:
• News updates
• Media releases
• Upcoming young carer activities
• Upcoming young carer camps
• Young carer support groups
• Other young carer events
• Young carer research
• Competitions
• And much more!!!
Thank you
Any questions?
For more information, or to register a young carer, contact the Young Carer Team on
1800 242 636 To register for E-News visit the website at
www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au