Action for Children

Bridgend Young Carers Service

A young carer is someone who takes responsibility for someone who is ill, disabled, elderly, experiencing mental illness or affected by substance misuse, or has substantial responsibility for caring for a brother or sister. Young carer's lives are restricted because of their caring role, they can feel different to their peers, be socially isolated or lack in confidence as they don't have the same access to social opportunities as their peers.

We help children and young people aged 8 to 18 who are caring for someone in their family. We try to make life easier by offering practical and emotional support for the young carer and by giving them a break from their caring role so they can enjoy some time of their own and meet other young people with similar experience.

The service is extremely important and valued by our Young Carers and their families as in some cases it is the only form of time out that these exceptional young people have. Our Young Carers groups run on Monday evenings in Bridgend. We also provide a few day trips during the school holidays to offer much deserved leisure opportunities. The holidays can be the hardest time for a young carer as their caring role can increase and they are isolated from their peers and social opportunities.

Our Vision:

Is that every child & young person in the country has a safe, happy childhood and the foundations they need to thrive. This is what we aspire to for our children & young people.

Our mission is to protect and support children and young people.

We do this by:

• Providing practical care and support
• Ensuring their voices are heard
• Campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives

These are practical actions we undertake as an organisation to help bring our vision about.