Advice for carers

Are you living in Cambridgeshire and looking after someone who is disabled, frail, or ill? Is the care you provide unpaid?

If you answer "yes" because you look after a:

• parent
• friend
• neighbour
• grandparent
• sister
• child

then you are a carer, and there is help and support available.

A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends whose health or wellbeing could suffer without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner, child or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.

Most of us juggle busy lives, but for carers, providing support for a relative, partner or friend, the pressures can be enormous. More than six million people, including 175,000 young carers under the age of 18, give their time in this way - that's one in eight people in the UK.  

Advice and support information is available from various sources:

Carers Direct is a dedicated website provided by NHS Choices for carers offering practical advice and support including a search facility to find help in your area

Crossroads Care is Britain's leading provider of support for carers and the people they care for. We work with over 35,000 individuals and their families, helping carers to make a life of their own outside caring. We provide the special quality of care that gives them the peace of mind to let someone else step into their shoes.

Cambridgeshire Social Services website contains information about local support, guidelines, your rights as a carer, news and events relating to carers. Click on the links below for more information.