For teachers and educators
Information and free resources for teachers and educators who are supporting young carers in their classroom or school.
Young carers are children and young people aged 25 years or under, who help to support a family member or friend living with disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness, or who is ageing or frail. Young carers can support the person they care for in a range of different ways, including providing emotional support, cooking meals, helping with transport and much more.
Some schools already have initiatives in place to support young carers, however young carers are often not recognised by the adults in their lives and may not share, or even realise they are a young carer.
If you would like to know more about young carers in NSW, or how to support a young carer to reach their full potential, this page is for you.
Support for young carers
Carer Gateway – Practical support for all carers (including counselling, peer support, respite and more).
1800 422 737 (Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 5.00pm local time)
Young Carer Bursary – A bursary for young carers, aged 12-25 years, to assist with education needs and resources.
If you need to talk to someone:
- Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14 (for anyone)
- Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or webchat (for young people aged 5-25 years)
- Call 13YARN on 13 92 76 (to speak with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter)
- Call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat (between 3.00pm and midnight, every day)
This information is general in nature. Contact Carers NSW for tailored information and referral support.
Learn more
For state-funded schools in NSW, the NSW
Department of Education has developed the Supporting Young Carers web resource which provides information for principals,
teachers and student wellbeing support staff about supporting students who are
young carers. You can view this information on the NSW Department of Education website.
Free information sessions for your staff
Carers NSW offers free, evidence-based information sessions to help teachers and other staff to identify and support young carers.
Each session can be tailored to the needs of your school or educational institution, but workshops generally run for 45-60 minute. Sessions can be delivered in-person or online.
To arrange an information for your team or organisation, phone Carers NSW or email youngcarers@carersnsw.org.au.
Learn about young carers from young carers
YC Bytes podcast
This podcast aims to raise awareness of young carers across New South Wales. Each episode features different guest speakers, including young carers, to bring lived experience and insights to the conversation. Listen below, or search for ‘YC Bytes’ in your favourite podcast app.
Resources and fact sheets
Young Carer Policy Statement – An overview of young carers through a statistical and research-focused lens.
Young Carer Research Project: Summary of findings – Findings from research conducted by Carers NSW with 28 young carers aged 16-25 from across NSW.
Young Carer Identification Guide – A booklet that provides information on who young carers are and what they do, the impacts of caring and some tips and tricks on how to identify a young carer in a classroom setting.
Supporting Student Carers – A fact sheet for universities and other tertiary institutions who would like some information on supporting carers in their cohort.
If there is a resource that you would like to suggest we develop, please email youngcarers@carersnsw.org.au.
Get involved
Participate in the Young Carer Inclusion Network
Would you like to work with us to improve young carer recognition and inclusion in NSW?
The Young Carer Inclusion Network is a Carers NSW initiative that brings together service providers and professionals engaging with young people in NSW. The Network aims to improve the identification and support of young carers through identifying gaps, building sector capacity and capability, and streamlining access to support for young carers in mainstream service settings.
If you work with young people and you would like to participate in this network, click below.
For more information about the Young Carer Inclusion Network and what participation looks like, download the fact sheet below.
Connect with us
Get in touch with Carers NSW if you would like to know more about:
- Support available to young carers in NSW.
- Supporting a young carer to share their story or explore leadership opportunities.
- Opportunities and information for educators supporting young carers.
To stay up to date and receive information from us regularly, sign up to our YC eNews.
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2018. TableBuilder Dataset. Canberra: Australian Government. Retrieved from www.abs.gov.au/tablebuilder