Young carers are children and young people, 25 years or under, who help to support a family member or friend living with a disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail.

Every caring situation is different and the word ‘carer’ can be confusing. Young carers are daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, granddaughters, grandsons, nieces, nephews, cousins and even friends! You might not use the term ‘young carer’ to describe yourself so it could be hard to know if we are the right people to connect with. Below is a bit more information about who young carers are, the types of things that young carers do and some of the programs and services you can access as a young carer.