Having an illness or disability can really affect how much money your family has. The person who is ill may have to give up work or work much less, and as a young carer you may find there's not much money left for family outings or school trips. You may also find yourself managing your family’s money, paying the bills and doing the shopping. This might feel stressful.
If someone in your family has an illness or disability, they can get money to help them. It can be hard to find out about what you might get, or your parents might not want to rely on benefits. But if you're concerned about money, speak to your parents about it.
Talk to someone at your local young carers project. They should be able to help you get the money that you or your family need. You could also talk confidentially to the Citizens Advice Bureau for free.
There are a number of ways you can get money to help, either with your caring role or your education.
Carer’s Allowance
Carer’s Allowance is available to anyone over 16 who cares for someone for at least 35 hours a week. Time spent travelling or helping someone get about can count towards the 35 hours. To qualify for Carer’s Allowance, the person you're looking after must already be getting either Disability Living Allowance (DLA) at the highest or middle rate, or Attendance Allowance.
Young carers at school or college for more than 21 hours a week cannot get Carer’s Allowance. You cannot claim if you're earning over £95 a week.
Carer premium
Some carers can get the carer premium. This is extra money included in Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
See the section on top-up benefits for more information.
Work
You may choose to look for paid work. If you've left school you could work full time. If you're still studying, you may be able to work part time to earn some money.
Think carefully about how much time you can commit to working. If you need to be at home at a certain time, you'll probably need to find a job with fixed hours. If you're still at school, a part-time job at weekends might be better.
Working rules
For their own health and safety, young people are only allowed to work for a limited amount of time each week. 15 or 16-year-olds can work up to two hours a day on weekdays, one hour before school and one hour after. In term time they can work up to eight hours on a Saturday and two on a Sunday.
If you're over 16, you can work up to eight hours a day, but no more than 40 hours a week. You're entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes if you work for more than four-and-a-half hours at a time.
Make sure you're paid properly. There is a national minimum wage and it's illegal for someone to pay you less than this. For 16 and 17-year-olds the minimum wage is £3.53 an hour; for 18 to 21-year-olds it's £4.77 an hour; if you're over 21 the minimum wage is £5.73 an hour.
Finding a job may not be as hard as you think. Ask your friends and relatives and let them know you're looking for work. Shops usually need more staff in the run-up to Christmas and often start advertising jobs from September. Other employers, such as cafés or farms, may need extra help in summer. The vacancies section in your local newspaper should have details of suitable jobs.
If you don’t have much experience, consider volunteering. Volunteering (unpaid working) is a useful way of getting experience when you're starting out. Although it's not paid, volunteering shows employers you have real commitment so it will look good when you apply for jobs. If you're a good volunteer, there may be the chance for paid work in the future.
Note down any voluntary experience you do and ask for references from employers. Keeping a record of these, along with any qualifications, will help you prove your worth to potential future employers. Many will expect you to give them a CV (curriculum vitae), which is a list of your contact details, achievements, qualifications, skills, experience and references.
Saving money
As well as getting money from benefits or working, think about ways you could save money. Try shopping in cheaper shops, using vouchers, looking for two-for-one deals or going to places that are free (such as parks and many museums). For more information see Budgeting tips for carers.
Home improvement
You may be able to get your home adapted so it's safer or more accessible for the person you're looking after. This may depend on what illness or disability they have, and an occupational therapist may be able to help you find out more.
