Who is a Carer?

A carer is person that provides ongoing, unpaid care to someone who has a:

• Disability  

• Chronic or terminal illness 

• Mental illness  

• Drug and/or alcohol dependency  

• Or is ageing and frail 

You can be a carer for a family member, friend, or neighbour. 

You might be helping someone once a week or looking after them 24hours a day.  

It all counts as being a carer.  

What does a carer do?

Carers might help someone with: 

• Daily tasks like cooking or cleaning 

• Practical tasks like paying bills or filling out forms 

• Personal care like showering, getting dressed, or eating 

• Health care like organising appointments or giving medicine 

• Social and emotional support like checking in, offering encouragement, and helping them stay connected with others. 

Hidden carers

Some people may not realise they are a carer because they: 

• believe looking after a relative is just part of their family responsibility 

• are young (for example, children and young people under the age of 25)  

• use different words to describe their caring role  

• are not biologically related to the person they are looking after  

• feel like they are not doing ‘enough’ to be a carer 

Young carers

Children and young people can be carers too. A young carer is someone under the age of 25 who helps care for a family member or friend.  

Young carers may help in different ways, such as:  

• looking after a sibling 

• translating or explaining information 

• running errands 

• helping with transport or driving to appointments 

• cooking, cleaning or other household tasks 

Young carers often balance their caring role with study, work and social activities. 

NSW Carer Recognition Act 2010

The NSW Carer (Recognition) Act 2010 highlights the important role that carers have in supporting people in the community. 

The Act outlines a Carers Charter which guides how government services should consider and support carers.