YOUNG carers aged 13 and over from Bradford, Harrogate and Craven are being invited to join a new Young Carer Hub on Instagram, where they can find advice and support.

Local charity Carers’ Resource launched the Young Carer Hub during the week of Carers’ Rights Day, which took place on Thursday November 25.

The Instagram page aims to create a space for young carers to find support and connect with each other as they move into being young adult carers.

A number of local young adult carers have made a series of videos giving their own top tips and personal experiences of applying to university, getting jobs and moving away from home.

Young carer Tom gives advice on moving into post-16 education, including how to choose the right course and the right college. He said: “Don’t feel as a young carer that you have any limits on yourself, on where you can go and what you can do.”

Followers of the page will also be able to access information and signposting on subjects such as interviews, building trust and talking to universities and employers about caring responsibilities.

The Instagram page aims to help bridge the gap between young carer services and adult carer services.

Chris Windsor, Young Carer Team Leader, said: “I am really excited about the launch of this page.

“It will be great to have this hub of support and somewhere Young Carers can go at any time to find resources and stories which will help them think about and plan for the future. I can’t wait for people to see it”

The Young Carers team at Carers’ Resource exists to support young carers in the Bradford, Harrogate and Craven districts of Yorkshire. A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a relative who has a condition, such as a disability, illness, mental health condition, or who misuse drugs or alcohol. Most young carers look after one of their parents or care for a brother or sister.

One in 12 children is a young carer. The number of young carers in Yorkshire and the Humber, therefore, works out at just under 85,000.

The Instagram page can be found at @youngcarerhub - www.instagram.com/youngcarerhub

Young carers can be put in touch with Carers’ Resource by a family member, teacher, GP or other professional, or they can get in touch themselves. See https://youngcarersresource.org/ or call 01423 500555.