What is a carer?

A carer is someone who provides unpaid care and support to another person who could not manage without their help.
This could be due to age, disability, physical or mental illness or drug/alcohol dependency. A young carer is someone who does this, and is either under 18 years old, or has reached the age of 18 years and remains a pupil at school.

Dundee has continued to increase the number of young carers identified and supported, particularly in primary schools. This has led to an increase in early intervention work with young carers and their families.

Young Carers Voice

Young Carers Voice are a group of young carers from across the City, supported by Dundee Carers Centre, who have been the driving force of change in the City, working with key decision makers and ensuring young carers voices are heard and acted upon. 

Young Carers Voice have identified that while Dundee has made significant progress in identifying our young carers the wider community still does not understand the diversity and variety of caring roles young carers undertake and their different experiences.

What we did this year...

Wednesday 13 March 2024
12-4pm
Scrapantics
Top Level, Wellgate Centre

This year took the theme ‘Fair Futures For Young Carers’ and focus on highlighting Dundee as a City where its young carers are supported to allow them to continue learning, earning and be able to participate in activities and events and get on with their lives.

We invited local organisations that support young carers and their families, as well as local businesses that are carer positive and can help support carers in their employment journey such as:

• Dundee Carers Centre
• NHS The Corner
• Penumbra Mental Health- Dundee
• Discovery Credit Union
• MCR Pathways
• Barnardo’s Work’s Tayside
• Boomerang Community Centre
• The Yard Scotland
• Togetherall – Counselling in Schools
• Social Security Scotland

School Display Virtual Gallery

As part of the Showcase Event we also invited local schools to create a colourful display on what they thought “Fair Futures for Young Carers” meant to them.

There were many colourful insightful displays that we felt we had to share with everyone else, so we have created an online gallery for you to explore.

Click here to visit the Virtual Gallery

Fair Futures For Young Carers Mural

Young Carers Voice, collaborated with local artist Diane Selbie, Scrapantics and the Wellgate Centre Dundee to create a mural to celebrate Young Carers Action Day.

The mural is based on this year’s theme: “A Fair Future for Young Carers” and aims to symbolise the transformation, resilience, and strength of young carers. Using a butterfly at the heart of the artwork, each Young Carers Voice member designed a different section of the wings to capture each of their unique differences. They wanted to highlight that fair futures means as well as recognising them as young carers, they are still individuals with their own wants and passions.

Click here for more information

Roadshows are back!

Following on the huge success of last year, we are once again touring schools across Dundee to raise awareness of young carers and their amazing contribution to staff and young people across the City.

Speeches and Interviews from YCAD 2023 Launch