Young Carers

Young Carers Action Day 2025

Give me a break

Following consultation with hundreds of young carers and the chosen theme for YCAD 2025 is ‘Give me a break’. This theme allows us to explore two crucial areas of support young carers need.

First, young carers have so much responsibility on their shoulders that they often have little time for themselves and are at serious risk of burnout. They need a break.

We know that young carers are significantly more likely to report severe psychological distress then their peers without a caring role. They need time out from their caring responsibilities to rest, recharge and focus on themselves – be it for a hobby, or just spending time with friends, like other people their age.

The ‘Give me a break’ theme also speaks to young carers’ need for education professionals and employers to give them a break in life. This could be offering more support at school to young carers, recognising that their responsibilities at home can mean they often feel overwhelmed at having to juggle their caring responsibilities with their schoolwork. By trying to understand these pressures more fully, and helping young carers manage them, education professionals can give young carers the break they need to succeed at school and in further and higher education.

Similarly, we want to engage employers and help them understand that young carers may not achieve the same grades or have the same level of work experience as their peers without caring responsibilities. But this should not be a barrier to giving young carers a break. Young carers have acquired countless transferable skills through their caring role and experiences which would make them highly valued employees. If the pressures faced by young carers at school are recognised, and greater support is given to young carers on their pathway into work, there is no reason that they cannot go on to have a brilliant career. 

All young carers need is for schools, colleges, universities and employers to give them a break. Please help promote Young Carers Action Day by displaying the attached poster.

Knox Academy is the first school in East Lothian to achieve a “We Care” Award, demonstrating that they clearly  “give young carers a break”. Working closely with all our schools, the Young Carers Service in confident that many more could also achieve this. If interested in finding out more, please contact mprior1@eastlothian.gov.uk