Young Carers Support App (UK)
Free digital self-care and rights-based support for young carers
The Young Carers Support App is a trusted, free self-care and wellbeing app used by local authorities, charities, NHS teams, and youth organisations to support young carers.
It provides clear, age-appropriate guidance to help young carers understand their rights, care safely, look after their own wellbeing, and connect with trusted support.
By doing so, it helps reduce unmet need, supports earlier intervention, and gives organisations a consistent way to reach young carers at scale.
The app can be localised by local service providers to reflect an organisation’s own services, pathways, and signposting to further support - while retaining consistent, trusted core guidance.
Available free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. No account is required to download or use the app.
Why this app exists
Caring for someone at home while still growing up places a heavy and often hidden burden on young people.
Many young carers:
- feel stressed, isolated, or overwhelmed
- miss out on education, social opportunities, or rest
- struggle with their own mental and physical wellbeing
- don’t recognise themselves as carers, and so go without support
At the same time, services want to help - but staff time, funding, and capacity are already stretched. Many young carers remain unidentified or unsupported until difficulties escalate.
Without the right support, young carers can struggle alone, experience poor mental health, and in some cases face serious distress or crisis.
A calm, practical way to support young carers earlier
With the Young Carers Support App, you gain a simple, reliable way to reach young carers - including those who may never come forward or engage directly with services.
The app adds a mobile layer to how you already share information, complementing face-to-face support, leaflets, and websites by putting clear, reliable guidance directly into young carers’ hands, whenever they need it.
In practice, the app helps you to:
- identify and support young carers earlier
- provide consistent, age-appropriate guidance
- reduce unmet need and isolation
- complement existing services, not replace them
If you want to go further, you can localise the app with your own branded home page and service directory to strengthen local pathways and visibility.
Supporting young carers across the care pathway
Young carers don’t move through support in a straight line. Needs change as family circumstances, education, and caring responsibilities evolve.
The app can support young carers at different points, including:
- Before identification – offering reassurance and information to those who don’t yet see themselves as carers.
- At identification or assessment – helping young carers understand their rights and what support is available.
- Alongside ongoing support – reinforcing messages from services and charities.
- During transitions – supporting changes such as moving schools, entering further education, or changes in caring roles.
In each case, the app sits alongside existing safeguarding, education, and support pathways - offering clarity, reassurance, and a safe starting point.
Why mobile apps work for young carers
Support works best when it’s available at the moment it’s needed - without barriers.
Young carers already rely on their phones to manage daily life. Apps offer:
- privacy and discretion
- access outside office hours
- support that works offline
- information they can return to in their own time
Once downloaded, the app:
- stays with young carers
- can be accessed anytime, anywhere
- provides one clear, trusted place to turn when things feel difficult
This makes it especially helpful for a group that may be reluctant to ask for help.
Who the app is for - and who it isn’t
You can think of the Young Carers Support App as a digital pocket guide, designed for:
- children and young people who care for someone at home
- young people who may not yet identify as carers
- professionals and organisations supporting young carers
The app is not a medical device and is not intended to:
- replace safeguarding processes or assessments
- act as an emergency service
- collect or monitor personal data
Instead, it supports understanding, safer caring, self-care, and confident help-seeking alongside existing services.
How the Young Carers Support App works in practice
Inside the app, young carers find clear, supportive content shaped by lived experience.
This includes guidance to help young carers:
- understand their rights and entitlements
- care safely and look after their own wellbeing
- manage stress, tiredness, and difficult feelings
- feel less alone through shared experiences and advice
- find trusted local and national support
Everything is written in plain, age-appropriate language and designed to be easy to return to - especially when young carers feel overwhelmed.
Safe, private, and free to use
So you can share the app with confidence, it has been designed with safety and accessibility at its core:
- entirely free for young carers and organisations
- no contracts, no sign-up, and no technical set-up
- no personal data collection, tracking, or profiling
- no ads or in-app purchases
- compatible with standard smartphone accessibility features
Young carers can use the app discreetly, in private - even when offline.
Risk & assurance summary
Expert Self Care apps are designed to extend access to trusted self-care support while managing organisational risk responsibly.
- Not a replacement for services or safeguarding processes
- No personal data collection or monitoring
- Clinically led, evidence-informed, and PIF TICK certified
- Free to use, with no contracts or operational burden
- Suitable for promotion across local authorities, NHS, and voluntary sector settings
Together, this provides a safe, proportionate way to support young carers at scale.
Governance note: The app supports self-care, rights awareness, and appropriate help-seeking alongside existing safeguarding, education, and support pathways. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or emergency response.
Proven quality and real-world impact
The Young Carers Support App is trusted and widely used:
- PIF TICK accredited — the UK mark of trusted health information
- Co-produced with young carers, charities, and professionals
- Used by local authorities and voluntary sector organisations
This is established, quality-assured support - ready to use at scale.
Understanding the value for organisations
The Young Carers Support App is a small, predictable investment of attention that can unlock meaningful value over time.
It can help organisations to:
- reach young carers who may not engage directly
- reduce unmet need through earlier awareness and support
- provide consistent, rights-based information at scale
- ease pressure on staff with a ready-to-use digital resource
- avoid the cost and risk of developing a digital product
Ultimately, the value lies in making trusted support easier to find - earlier, and in ways young carers feel comfortable using.
Designed to support sustainability
The Young Carers Support App supports sustainability in practical ways:
- For young people – improved wellbeing, confidence, and safety
- For services – prevention, efficiency, and reduced escalation
- For the planet – reduced reliance on printed materials and duplication
A simple digital intervention with lasting impact.
Make the app locally relevant (optional)
Local authorities, charities, and partner organisations can localise the Young Carers Support App to:
- add a branded home page
- clearly signpost local services and support
- tailor messaging for their community
Helping young carers find the right support sooner - without the cost or complexity of building something new.
The difference the Young Carers Support App can make
When young carers have access to clear, trusted support, they are more likely to:
- feel recognised and less alone
- care more safely and confidently
- seek help earlier
- stay engaged with education and opportunities
Giving young carers one trusted place for support can make everything feel lighter - for them, and for the people supporting them.
Let’s start a conversation
If you’d like to explore how the Young Carers Support App could support young carers in your area, we’d be glad to talk.