Read The Book

You can read the main text of 'Guidebook for Young Carers' for free on this website. The printed and ebook versions also contain illustrations and coloured boxes containing quotes and key advice. The printed version can be bought on Amazon for £9 and the ebook version can be bought on Amazon for £2.

Introduction

Introduction I had a difficult childhood, with my mum being severely mentally unwell and my dad dying when I was 12 years old. After Dad’s death, I was left to look after my mum without any help from relatives or healthcare professionals. I provided continual care throughout the remainder of […]

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Chapter One – My Early Years

My Early Years My Early Childhood I was born in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, on 20th November 1973. My parents were living nearby in an area called the Wirral. My dad had a good job as a regional sales manager and my mum had been a teacher, but had stopped teaching […]

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Chapter Three – My Adult Life

My Adult Life Purpose of This Chapter It may seem strange that a book on being a young carer contains a chapter called ‘My Adult Life’. The main reason I have included this chapter is I want to excite and inspire young carers about what their lives could be. Many […]

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Chapter Four – Lessons from My Experiences

Lessons From My Experiences The two most important lessons from my experiences are: I Should Have Told Someone As I mention in Chapter Two, My Experiences as a Young Carer, my biggest regret is that I did not tell my school friends or adults I trusted what my life was […]

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Chapter Five – Advice on Certain Topics

This chapter offers advice to young carers. I have broken it into smaller sections to make information on different topics easy to find. The topics covered are as follows: Don’t measure your success against others. Take responsibility for your life. Understand the situation. Learn from your previous behaviour. Think about […]

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Chapter Six – Know Your Rights

Know Your Rights If you are a young carer you may feel that you don’t have any choices. You may feel that you have no option other than to provide care. However, you should be aware of some relevant laws. The two key points in these laws are that no […]

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Chapter Seven – Tell Your Story

Tell Your Story If you are a young carer and you are meeting people to discuss your role, I suggest you make some notes beforehand to take with you. When I met medical and social care professionals and described Mum’s care, I sometimes forgot some details that I wanted to […]

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Chapter Eight – Getting Support

Getting Support Being a young carer is extremely tough and there is no reason for you to try to manage alone. You deserve support and there are various people and organisations you can approach to get help.   I have made some suggestions regarding the order that you speak to […]

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Chapter Nine – Conclusion

ConclusionDespite a difficult childhood and challenges in my adult life, I have lived, and am still living, a very interesting and enjoyable life.I have no doubt that I developed some very useful skills during my time as a young carer, skills which have assisted me in later life to achieve […]

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