Young Carers Service
The Midlothian Young Carers Service provides support and advice tailored to meet the individual needs of young people across Midlothian who find themselves caring for a dependent relative at home.
There are many reasons why young people are in this position. Parents may be ill or have a disability or a mental health problem. Older children can become responsible for younger children with a disability. Our staff provide both individual and group activities aimed at helping the young people enjoy their lives to the full.
Beth (11) was running away from home, destructive and visibly struggling to cope at school. Beth has a caring role for her mother who is on a methadone programme. Her brothers and sisters have different fathers, all of which was impacting on relationships within the family. Beth often felt angry at the way her family treated her and used her as a scapegoat for all their troubles, expecting her to understand their struggles without ever considering her needs and individuality. We initially offered Beth a place in a group but she found this environment too challenging: trust was difficult for her, she couldn't drop the defences she'd built up in response to her family situation.
We worked with Beth on a one-to-one basis. With this attention and space she blossomed, demonstrating a real capacity to reflect on herself and her family situation. She was able to open up and talk about her frustrations regarding unfairness and lack of any praise or encouragement from anyone.
Beth responded well to this individual attention and was able to recognise some of her own behaviour as contributing to the difficulties she was experiencing. During our sessions she was able to make some sense of the family dynamics and her place in it.
Beth has now joined the groups and is enjoying the shared activities while continuing to attend to her personal struggles in a more self-aware way.
If you would like to access this service, you can find contact details in our Services Contact List.
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