My Life: Julia Mackensie, 17, Burnley

23 July 2013 1 min read Julia Mackensie Social Care

I've been a young carer for the past four years. My dad needs help in the morning getting up and around the house. I help my sister with personal care and to get dressed in the morning. My mum recently lost a breast due to cancer so she needs a lot of emotional support. I also do household chores and recently started cooking meals.

I've often found it difficult to balance these responsibilities with my education – I want to become a nursery worker. All this used to get me down. What changed was having help from Barnardo's. They provided a home assistant and spoke to my college to make sure it understood my needs.

Barnardo's also helps me get out of the house. I've been a member of its Young Carers Service for two years. This gives me the chance to speak to other young carers about their experiences. Meeting new people has really helped improve my self-esteem and I enjoy the activities we do like ice-skating and cinema outings. I also get to go to classes designed to help young carers develop self-confidence through discussion and activities.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits: