Joe is 16 and lives with his sister and mother. Joe's mother has a physical disability and has received a recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This impacts on her ability to parent to her full potential. Her declining physical wellbeing means she often has restricted mobility and high pain levels. Her symptoms also include extreme lethargy and frequent bouts of low mood.
Joe’s form teacher speaks to Joe about a referral to the local Carers Support Organisation. A Young Carer’s Support Worker meets Joe at school and meets with his family at home. The Support Worker completes an assessment with Joe, which looks at the whole family’s needs and what is important to Joe.
Professionals and family members begin to meet together on a regular basis, to identify and address the family’s needs. This enables Joe to take part in activities with his friends in the community and identifies support for Joe to develop his self-esteem.
Joe is registered as a Young Carer and invited to Young Carers sessions. This provides him with a break from his caring role, and he enjoys spending time with other Young Carers. He also learns important life skills that he can use at home, such as first aid and healthy eating.
Joe’s mum had not accessed the support available for her own health. She's assisted by the team in applying for financial support and is successful in gaining higher rate mobility payment. This enables her to get a car, which helps to get Joe and his sister to school on time. The support worker also helps the family in identifying ways that Joe’s caring role can be reduced – for example, his mum chooses to use some of her allowance to pay a cleaner so that Joe no longer has to do this. A referral is made to occupational therapy, who make adaptations in the home to enable Mum to wash independently.