Young Carers Worker
Support children and young people who provide unpaid care for a family member, offering assessment, group work, advocacy, and access to breaks and services — a local authority and voluntary sector role.
Low
High
Entry possible with Level 3 qualification and relevant voluntary or paid experience; Level 4/5 qualification achievable while employed (1–2 years); JNC youth work qualification: 2–3 years degree or equivalent
No single mandatory qualification. Most roles require Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care, Youth Work, or Children and Young People's Workforce plus relevant experience. Level 4/5 in social care, youth work, or family support valued. JNC-qualified youth workers valued. DBS Enhanced check required. Driving licence usually required for home visiting.
What you do
Young Carers Workers support children and young people under 18 who are providing significant caring responsibilities for a parent, sibling, or other family member with illness, disability, mental health difficulties, or substance misuse. An estimated 800,000 young carers in England provide unpaid care, often hidden from services, and are at significant risk of educational disadvantage, social isolation, poor mental health, and missed childhood experiences. You identify young carers through schools, GP practices, and self-referral, carry out young carer needs assessments (as required under the Children and Families Act 2014), develop individual support plans, facilitate access to short breaks, peer support groups, and leisure activities, and advocate for young carers with schools and other services.
Young carers workers are employed by local authority children's services, voluntary sector organisations (Carers Trust, Action for Children, local carers organisations), and NHS young carers services. You work closely with schools, GPs, adult social care services, and mental health teams — often taking a whole-family approach to ensure that the care needs of the person being cared for are addressed alongside the support needs of the young carer. Group work — holiday programmes, peer support groups, outreach events — is a central component alongside individual casework.
Why this career is resilient
Young carers have a legally established right to a needs assessment under the Children and Families Act 2014, and the Care Act 2014 places duties on local authorities to identify and support young carers within their area. The NHS England Young Carers Framework has encouraged NHS services to identify and support young carers. These statutory duties create a baseline of local authority-funded young carers provision that is legally required.
The number of young carers is likely to increase as adult mental health difficulties, substance misuse, and long-term conditions rise — and as adult social care capacity reduces, placing more informal caring burden on families. The relationship-based, advocacy-oriented nature of young carers work — understanding family systems, working with schools and statutory services, providing individual and group support — creates a genuine professional expertise that takes time to develop. Voluntary sector organisations in this field are well-funded by local authorities and grant funders.
A typical day
Morning: young carer needs assessment visit to a family where a 14-year-old is caring for her mother with MS — completing the assessment, hearing the young carer's own voice about her needs, and discussing what support would be most helpful. Call with the school SENCO to share findings and agree how the school will support her attendance and wellbeing. Afternoon: facilitate the weekly young carers peer support group — 12 young people aged 11–16, running an arts and wellbeing session with a local artist volunteer. End of day: referral to a short break activity programme for two young carers and complete assessment records.
Routes in
Full-time college course
Study full-time at a further education college, usually for 1–2 years. You will need to fund yourself or apply for a student loan (available for Level 4+ courses).
Employer-funded training
Some employers — particularly the NHS, emergency services, and larger care providers — run their own funded training programmes. You apply for a job and train as you work.
Pay and costs
Earning potential: Young carers worker (voluntary sector): typically £24,000–£30,000. Local authority employed: £26,000–£34,000 depending on LA pay scales. Senior or team leader: £32,000–£40,000. NHS young carers lead: Band 5 (£29,970–£36,483) or Band 6 (£37,338–£44,962).
Training costs: Level 3 qualification: typically employer or grant-funded. Level 4/5 social care or youth work qualification: £1,500–£4,000; sometimes employer-funded. DBS check: typically employer-funded. Driving licence and mileage expenses covered by employer.