Search by topic or take a look at the full list below to find the support you need. If you know of any other resources or services we could add, or you notice any incorrect or out-of-date information, please get in touch.
E-wellbeing: Young carers and mental health (online wellbeing resource)
E-wellbeing is a digital wellbeing service and participation group for young people. The website is for young people who live in Sussex but their tips and resources are accessible to everyone. They have pages for young carers about managing their mental health and wellbeing
Child Bereavement UK
Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They support children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.
They also have resources on their website for supporting bereaved children and provide training to professionals.
UCAS information for students with caring responsibilities
Information from UCAS covering a range of topics for carers. This includes support available to carers in higher education, how to share more information about your caring responsibilities on your UCAS application, financial support for carers in higher education, and mental health and wellbeing.
Sheffield Mental Health Guide / Sheffield Flourish
Sheffield Flourish manage the Sheffield Mental Health Guide which contains a wide range of information and useful links. They also help people to share their stories by publishing them on their website. They offer a wide range of activities suitable for people living with mental health conditions. They organise fun and interesting monthly community events based on different themes. They also help people to realise their enterprising ideas.
Door 43
Kooth
Online, confidential support and counselling for under 18s in Sheffield.
Sheffield Mencap & Gateway
Sheffield Mencap & Gateway provide services and support to people with a learning disability or autism and their families in Sheffield. Groups and activities for adults, children and carers of all ages.
Toolkit for children and young people affected and bereaved by suicide: Chilypep
Toolkit for parents, carers and professionals to use with children and young people affected and bereaved by suicide, plus a map of services and support available across the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS area.
‘Exploring the cost of living crisis’ resource pack (National Youth Agency)
Sidekick
Sidekick is a confidential helpline for young carers in the UK, aged 13 to 18 - and up to 25 for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You can message us any time, about anything that's bothering you as a young carer.
When is Sidekick open? Monday - 9.30 am to 7.30 pm, Tuesday - 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, Wednesday - 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, Thursday - 12.30 pm to 7.30 pm, Friday - 9.30 am to 4 pm.
Text 07888 868 059, Email: sidekick@actionforchildren.org.uk
Young Carers of Black and Minority Ethnic families - Children's Society factsheet
Factsheet from the Children’s Society about speciifc issues that affect young carers of of Black and Minority Ethnic families
Penderel's Trust: Sheffield's Direct Payment Support Service
Our Time
Website offering information and support for young people affected by parental mental illness. Includes a podcast ‘My Family, Mental Illness... and Me’, featuring famous people who have grown up with a parent with a mental illness.
The Late Crew: Book for 8-11 year olds by Rab Ferguson
The Late Crew is aimed at 8-11 year olds and is a story of young carers investigating alien activity! As well as being an entertaining alien adventure book for young people to read, there are 3 aims behind The Late Crew:
Young carers will be excited to see themselves in a book!
Other young people will understand what it means to be a carer.
Some children will read it and realise that they are a carer, even if they didn't know before.
The author, Rab Ferguson, is happy to attend schools to deliver workshops around the book, and making up aliens! Onwe Press also offer discounts for schools interested in buying a few copies. To find out more, email thelatecrew@outlook.com or visit https://www.thelatecrew.co.uk/.
You can also buy the book directly through online stores such as Hive, Blackwells, Waterstones, Amazon and other book retailers.
Learning through Caring: Children's University credits for learning through caring responsibilities
In acknowledgment of the barriers that many young carers face to accessing Children’s University (CU) activities, Sheffield Children’s University and SYC have developed a ‘Learning Through Caring’ programme. This enables young carers to receive 1 CU credit per week in recognition of learning and skills development that takes place through their caring responsibilities. This requires termly review discussion with a member of school staff, so young carers can reflect on the valuable life skills they have developed through their responsibilities at home; realise how transferable these skills are for college, university, employment and later life; and receive CU credits and awards for their efforts. Click here for full details.
Amplify Graphic Novels: Lung Theatre
Amplify:
Speak to Me (Made by Dermot Daly, Tessie Orange-Turner and Elorm)
On the Inside (Made by Gitika Buttoo, Naureen Hafeez, Naila, Hussain, K.A & Darim)
Two graphic novels co-created with young carers to creatively, safely and meaningfully reflect on their own experiences and advocate for the rights of Black and South Asian young carers.
Parental Substance Use: Supporting School Aged Children (BASW Practice Guide, July 2022)
Children living with parents who use substances are a group of children who are overlooked in legislation, policy and practice. This guide draws on research that puts children’s voices front and centre. Findings from safeguarding practice reviews consistently show clear system failures and a lack of inter-agency communication where parental substance use is identified as the primary factor in the significant injury or death of a child. Through attention to the child’s narrative, this guide will support social workers in their assessment of risk and the protective factors needed by children to buffer against the negative impact of parental substance use.
Changes to the school census from Spring 2023
Changes to the school census: From Spring 2023, there is going to be a new Young Carer indicator on the schools’ census return for all schools (not nurseries). This indicator will record whether the pupil has been identified as a young carer and by whom. For more information, watch a webinar about this here.
Other useful resources:
Prevent FASD
Website with information and campaigns to help prevent FASD