Young carers get £750,000 boost

The money has been given to the Carers Trust by the Co-operative Group, for its Time for Change grant programme.

It will be used to assist local projects across the UK that support young adult carers aged between 14 and 25 through training, residential trips and one-to-one support sessions about education, health, housing and employment.

Trisha Thompson, head of grants and funding at Carers Trust said: “Young adult carers are at a crucial stage in their lives – juggling the demands of caring for a loved one at home, while facing the challenges of studying for exams, applying for college or seeking work.

“These are very stressful times and many young adult carers tell us they feel isolated as they don’t know what choices they have or how to make applications.
 
“Carers Trust’s Time for Change grants to local centres will enable local projects to provide vital support to young adult carers who are making life-changing decisions.”

The Time for Change grants programme was established last year and is due to run until 2017. The project is expected to benefit 20,000 young carers across England by the time it finishes.

A total of 18 projects received funding from the programme’s second round of grants, including Wrexham Carers Service, which received £38,380 and Camden Carers, which received £43,000.

Allegra Lynch, chief executive of Camden Carers, said: “The £43,000 we have received from Carers Trust is vital funding which will enable us to support young adult carers in Camden who we know feel alienated and unable to have life goals like their friends because of the demands of their caring role.”