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Young carers
Young Carers and Sibling Support Service update
From 1 April 2026 the Young Carers and Sibling Support service will be provided by the Targeted Early Help service within children's social care.
More about what's happening to the service
Bringing the service back within children’s services marks an exciting new chapter. This development will strengthen alignment with statutory assessment processes and early help pathways, enabling closer integration with wider safeguarding and family support services. The move will also increase our capacity to identify, assess, and support children and young people who provide care to family members. Our aim is to enhance responsiveness, ensure timely assessments of need, and further develop tailored support that improves outcomes for young carers across the borough.
Although the service will formally commence on 1 April 2026, we will begin accepting and processing referrals from 16 March 2026. Please note that while referrals received from this date will be logged and prepared for allocation, responses and full-service activity will not begin until after 1 April 2026.
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to Barnardo’s, who have provided the Young Carers Service over recent years. Their commitment, expertise, and dedication have made a meaningful difference to the lives of many children and families across Barnsley. We are grateful for their valued contribution and partnership working.
Referrals should be made using the referral form. We ask all partners to ensure referrals include comprehensive information about the young person’s caring responsibilities, presenting needs, and any current agency involvement to support timely screening and allocation.
Further information about service delivery arrangements, contact details, and key operational guidance will be shared in advance of the launch date.
We look forward to working closely with all safeguarding partners during this transition period and beyond, as we continue our shared commitment to identifying and supporting young carers in Barnsley.
Young carers are children and young people under 18 who look after someone in their family who has an illness, disability, or is affected by mental ill-health or substance misuse. They take on tasks that would normally be done by an adult.
What young carers do
General helping around the house doesn't mean that you're a young carer. Young carers do much more, including some or all of the following:
- practical tasks, such as cooking, housework and shopping
- physical care, such as lifting, helping a parent on stairs, or with physiotherapy
- personal care, such as dressing, washing, helping with toileting needs
- managing the family budget, going for benefits and collecting prescriptions
- giving medication
- looking after or ‘parenting’ younger brothers or sisters
- providing emotional support
- interpreting due to a hearing or speech issue, or because English is not the family’s first language
Some young carers undertake high levels of care, others carry out low levels of care often. Either can impact heavily on a child or young person.
How we support young carers
Usually children and young people don’t want to stop caring, but would welcome some extra help with being a carer. We give young carers extra support to make sure their caring role doesn't stop them from learning, and help them balance their caring with their rights to be a child or young person.
Our Barnsley Young Carers Service is provided by Targeted Early Help. They work directly with children and young people who have a caring role in their family.
By providing the right help, Targeted Early Help make sure that the young person doesn’t become responsible for inappropriate caring roles.
How to get support if you're a young carer
If you’re a young carer and you need support, you can get in touch with Barnsley Young Carers Service by calling 01226 772423.
What Barnsley Young Carers Service does
Barnsley Young Carers Service works with young carers across the Barnsley area, offering advice, advocacy, and support. If you’re a young carer, you can access the service on a one-to-one basis or through a support group.
The service will give you a break from caring and a chance to socialise with other young carers who understand your situation. They'll also make sure you have a voice, so you can influence how their service is offered and help develop other services across the Children, Young People and Families Trust that better meet your needs and those of other young carers in the borough.
By working closely with young carers, Targeted Early Help gains a clear picture of your needs. They can then raise awareness of these to agencies and the wider community to help support them.
Targeted Early Help also provide guidance to professionals and work with our children's social care service, looking at when caring is becoming too much for the young carer and when their family may need extra support.
Sibling support
Barnardo’s also provides sibling support to brothers and sisters of children with disabilities who live in the Barnsley area.
For more information
For more information about Barnsley Young Carers Service or sibling support services, you can call them on 01226 772423.