MYTIME Young Carers
Ensuring that young carers across the UK receive the support, opportunities, and friendship every child deserves.
MYTIME Young Carers are committed to “levelling the playing field” for these incredible young people, championing their rights and addressing the significant disadvantages they often face due to their caregiving responsibilities.
MYTIME Young Carers empowers young people who care for loved ones—some as young as five—by creating space for them to be children again.
Through innovative in-school programmes, inclusive community activities, and life-changing career development opportunities, MYTIME supports young carers to reconnect with their own potential and feel seen, supported, and celebrated.
By partnering with schools, influencing national policy, and building a supportive peer network, MYTIME is working to create a society where no young carer is left to cope alone.
The Cause
Young carers are children and young people under 18 who provide care to a family member due to illness, disability, mental health challenges, or substance misuse. Some are as young as five, carrying responsibilities well beyond their years. This often leads to significant challenges impacting their education, wellbeing, and future opportunities.
It’s estimated that one in five secondary pupils may be a young carer, yet 69% of UK schools are unaware of young carers in their midst. These children face persistent absence from school, lower grades, exhaustion, loneliness, bullying, and long-term mental health conditions. Many provide between 20-49 hours of care per week, often achieving nine GCSE grades lower than their peers.
What They Do
MYTIME supports young carers through a range of innovative programmes and advocacy work. They partner with schools through their Level Up programme to identify hidden young carers, train staff, and provide structured in-school support, including a dedicated young carer champion in every school.
MYTIME also runs an empowering 8-week career accelerator, designed to smooth the transition into further education, training, or employment, reframing their caring experience as an asset.
Additionally, they collaborate with national bodies and organisations to influence government policy and ensure long-term systemic support, having secured an amendment in the Children and Wellbeing Bill.
MYTIME’s holistic, strengths-based approach allows young carers to take time for themselves, connect with others who understand their experiences, and build confidence for their futures.
– A story from MYTIME Young Carers-
Hannah
16-year-old Hannah cares for her younger brother with Cerebral Palsy. Amongst other things, she helps him get dressed, assists with his bathing and bedtime routine and cooks the family dinner. Hannah has benefitted from all our services and admits MYTIME has provided a unique support system, remarking that, “MYTIME’s like a doctor… they just make you better. They look after you.”
Her former teacher expressed regret for not recognising Hannah as a young carer sooner, admitting, “I had no idea Hannah was a young carer. Looking back, the signs were there, but because I hadn’t received any training, I didn’t connect the dots.” However, after her secondary school became involved with MYTIME, Hannah received much better support, even attending a group where she befriended other young carers, helping her to feel less isolated.
Thanks to Level Up, the teachers at Hannah’s sixth form had already undergone our training and created a more empathetic and supportive learning environment. A key example of the programme’s effectiveness was the sixth form accepting Hannah despite her failed English GCSE, acknowledging her extenuating circumstances. She was then fully supported through her A-Levels, leading her to feel more secure, understood and confident to ask for additional help. Staff assisted her in retaking her English and instead of punitive measures, they extended deadlines when necessary and recognised that family commitments sometimes made home studying challenging.
MYTIME staff considered it a privilege to regularly read with Hannah and were thrilled when she passed her GCSE English together with A-Levels in Art and Sports Science. She’s now studying Art at Bournemouth University, is flourishing in her part-time job and scores herself as a 10/10 on our regular online support group, Tempo!
Hannah says, “MYTIME have done so much for me… I don’t know where I’d be without them.”