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Young carers are children and young people who look after a family member with illness, disability or mental health or substance misuse problems. Often the relative is not getting the support needed from statutory services. Of an estimated 175,000 young carers, 13,000, including 3,500 at primary school, provide more than 50 hours a week. Asks why they are hidden and discusses the failing education and adults’ services. Most adult carers, let alone young carers, are  unaware of their rights.

In early 1999 the government announced money was to be spent on giving carers respite breaks. Reports on how the money, despite coming through to local authorities, has not reached the carers themselves.

The authors, two counsellors, discuss their positive experience of being part of a counselling scheme for adult carers. The scheme, run by Torbay social services in partnership with the local NHS trust, offers carers up to 10 counselling sessions free of charge.

It is bad enough that carers witness the decline of the person closest to them, but to have to attend to their every need and be on the receiving end of their anger and frustration is worse. The author explains how one care home has helped her mother cope with her living loss.

The Carer's Allowance provides minimal financial support for many of the nation's caring community.  This article reports on how after a lifetime of caring, many reaching retirement age face losing their Carer's Allowance entitlement.

Mencap finds no let up in stress for carers of people with learning disabilities as councils fail to assess their needs and make inadequate provision of short breaks. [Journal abstract]

Looks at how health professionals, social services and the voluntary sector are all working together to support people with dementia and their carers at the Petersfield Centre in Harold Hill in north-east London.

The Mental Capacity Act comes into full effect on 1 October 2007. This article aims to provide answers to some of the most frequent voiced questions and misapprehensions from mental health service users, carers, and practitioners about what the Act will mean to them.

Little time may be taken to listen to what carers have to say or explain clinical and service policies. The odd 5 minutes at the end of a busy clinic is not enough; being paraded in front of the ward round is simply unacceptable, but it still happens. A 20-mile trip for family carers just as imprisoned by the patient’s mental illness, geographically and financially, may be impossible.