Young Carers in Birmingham: Real Stories & Support

Read real stories from Young Carers in Birmingham and learn how Birmingham Carers Hub’s Young Carers Service supports young people with caring responsibilities.

(Names and images have been changed to protect anonymity).

Many young people across Birmingham quietly support family members who need help. These young people are known as Young Carers. If you are a Young Carer, or there is a child or young person helping in your household, support is available through Birmingham Carers Hub.

Young Carers often balance school, friendships, and everyday life alongside caring responsibilities. With the right support, they can build confidence, improve wellbeing, and connect with others who understand their experiences.

Here, Ruby, Marcus, Priya and Tyler share their stories as Young Carers and how support from Action for Children, a partner of Birmingham Carers Hub, has helped them.

What Is a Young Carer?

A Young Carer is a child or young person under 18 who helps care for a family member who may:

• have a disability
• live with long-term illness
• experience mental health challenges
• have additional support needs

Young Carers may help with practical tasks at home, provide emotional support, or care for siblings. Without support, these responsibilities can affect education, social life and emotional wellbeing. That is why services like Birmingham Young Carers Service exist.

Meet the Young Carers

Ruby, aged 14

I am autistic and have ADHD. My brother is aged nine and is autistic and non-verbal and my dad has health problems regarding his weight, heart and knee.

I care for my brother by looking after him, I help him to change his clothes, helping him go to the toilet and helping to feed him.

He also has sleeping issues so sometimes he sleeps with me if he wakes up in the middle of the night. He often has meltdowns and is sometimes aggressive with me.

This is stressful at times and inconveniences me as we can’t do normal things and everything has to adapt to him. For example, we can’t go out as often, we can’t go on long journeys. He’s also loud and disturbs me revising and brings lots of attention to us when he has meltdowns in his pushchair.

Marcus, aged 14

My dad had a brain haemorrhage stroke a few years ago so his left side is paralyzed.

Me and my family support him around the house, because I’m the eldest child, I help him the most.

I help dad get in and out of his chair and help him get dressed while mom sorts out my little sister before school.

I also help dad with his physiotherapy exercises while mum cooks us dinner.

Priya, aged 15

My mom has got breast cancer and still quite weak, my dad works till 6 or 7 o’clock so I mainly do everything at home like picking up my sisters from school, washing the dishes, cooking the dinner, doing chores etc.

I have an older brother but he goes to college and comes home a bit late so most of the responsibilities fall to me. It’s stressful to balance both school and home responsibilities.

Tyler, aged 15

I live with my Mom and Stepdad. Our house is quite crowded as there are eight of us altogether. I share a room with my brothers and we nearly always stay up late. My older brother has recently moved back home with his girlfriend as well as their baby so the house can be noisy.

I help to look after my younger siblings and often help with their homework and listen to their fears and worries. My Mom looks out for me though and she talks to my school to make sure I’m supported.

I try and remain positive. I do not feel helping is my duty, I do it to help my siblings and my Mom.

Supporting Young Carers: The Bouncing Back Programme

Ruby, Marcus, Priya and Tyler all participated in Action for Children’s Bouncing Back programme, which supports the emotional wellbeing and resilience of Young Carers in Birmingham schools. The programme creates a safe, supportive environment where young people can talk openly about their experiences and learn practical tools to manage stress and emotions.
The programme runs over two sessions across two weeks.

Session One: Understanding Resilience
The first session focuses on helping Young Carers:

• understand resilience
• identify personal stress triggers
• explore how thoughts, feelings and actions are connected

Young people learn how to challenge negative thinking patterns and identify activities that support their wellbeing.

Session Two: Practical Wellbeing Strategies
The second session introduces self-regulation and emotional wellbeing tools, including:

• breathing techniques
• recognising what is within their control
• identifying trusted support services such as Childline and YoungMinds

Each participant creates their own “Mental Health First Aid Kit” to help them manage difficult situations and maintain their wellbeing beyond the two sessions.
The sessions are interactive and guided by clear group agreements to ensure a respectful and supportive environment. Confidentiality is emphasised, with safeguarding procedures followed when necessary.
The aim of the programme is to:

• reduce feelings of isolation
• strengthen emotional resilience
• help Young Carers feel more confident at school and at home

What Young Carers Say About the Bouncing Back Programme

Ruby
It helped me to identify triggers and how to overcome it. It’s given me lots of resources and educated me. The packs were really nice and the activities were good and interesting.

 Marcus
I feel like this programme has really helped relieve stress it makes me feel calmer throughout the day and makes me forget about my problems. I think it will help a lot of kids and it gives them the support that they need. We did the BB programme and it really helped, with the breathing practices I felt more light and I will be using it frequently. I feel more confident and I feel like it has helped me learn how to cope with different stressful situations, I feel more confident in asking for help and control my emotions I have trusted teachers that I can go and speak to for support.

Priya
The BB programme is helping a lot and its very engaging and kind of fun. It has also informed me of new things and organisations to help when we need something. The programme helped a lot with learning how to balance my emotions and what to do to help with making time for myself and also breathing techniques.

Tyler
I really enjoyed the programme and feel more confident asking for support when I need it. I learnt a lot of new techniques that I did not know before and have found this very useful. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to take part in this programme and would like to be invited back to any future events with Action for Children.

Shamayla Akhtar from Action for Children said,
“Delivering the Bouncing Back programme has been incredibly rewarding. You can see Young Carers start to relax, open up, and realise they’re not alone. By the end of the two sessions, they’re not just learning coping strategies — they’re genuinely feeling more confident, connected, and empowered to look after their own wellbeing.”

Get Support for Young Carers in Birmingham

If you are a Young Carer, or know a child/teenager who helps care for a family member, support is available through Birmingham Carers Hub.
The Birmingham Young Carers Service provides:

• emotional wellbeing support
• school support and advocacy
• activities and peer groups
• advice and guidance for families

Start receiving free support by clicking the relevant link.

#YoungCarersActionDay