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Young carers: Take care of the carers

6 mins read
Mixing the responsibilities of helping dependant family members with the normal pressures of growing up can be tough. Dipika Ghose finds out how youth projects are working alongside young carers to help ease the burden.

Anthony, 15, also from Knowsley, has caused concern at his school because of his erratic attendance. He looks after his schizophrenic mother and epileptic father, plus he has an older brother with learning difficulties.

"I make the meals and make sure my parents take their medication," explains Anthony. "My father's seizures can be quite traumatic. They last for about 10 minutes and sometimes I'm up at three or four in the morning during the week to help him."

School work affected

Anthony's responsibilities can affect his personal life. "I like looking out for the whole family, but it makes having a social life and doing homework difficult," he says. "Last year, I got into trouble at school for not attending, but my dad was ill and my mum was in hospital. I'm lucky that two teachers at school know about my situation and understood why I was off."

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