What support is available for young carers?
Action for Children and Barnardos were commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to develop a regional service for young carers.
Action for Children deliver the service in the Belfast, South Eastern and Southern Health and Social Care Trust areas, and Barnardo’s in the Northern and Western. However both organisations work closely to ensure a "seamless" service whereby families living in boundary areas can access support from whatever provider is most convenient to them.
The Northern Ireland Regional Young Carers Service is divided on a geographical basis into several smaller "projects" which have distinct identities but are also intrinsically linked. These include:
- Barnardo’s Young Carers Project
- Armagh & Dungannon Young Carers Project
- Craigavon & Banbridge Young Carers Project
- Newry and Mourne Young Carers Project
- Eastern Area Young Carers Project.
Due to the size of Eastern Area Young Carers Project it is further sub divided into 4 sectors:
- North Belfast/Shankill
- South Belfast/Ballynahinch/South Down
- East Belfast/North Down/Ards Penninsula
- West Belfast/Lisburn.
