Wales Fund – Unpaid Carers Projects Supported
NEWCIS (North East Wales Carers Information Service) is a leading charitable organisation that supports unpaid carers across Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham. As one of the largest carers’ services in Wales, NEWCIS provides tailored information, advice, emotional support, training opportunities, and practical assistance to individuals who care for family members or friends with physical or mental health needs. Their services are a vital lifeline to carers of all ages, helping to safeguard their well-being and prevent them from reaching crisis point.
Through our grant, NEWCIS seeks to expand its reach to a particularly under-recognised group: young carers. With funding over three years, NEWCIS will work with schools across Flintshire to identify young carers—particularly those who have not yet accessed support—and to provide them with the information and services they need to thrive. The aim is not only to increase identification of young carers but to ensure they are fully supported both emotionally and academically within the school setting.
This project addresses several key challenges facing young carers. Many are hidden, reluctant to disclose their caregiving roles for fear of stigma or repercussions on their education. As a result, they often struggle with isolation, reduced academic performance, and mental health pressures. By training school staff to identify and support these students, NEWCIS aims to ensure that young carers are no longer invisible.
We are proud to support NEWCIS in delivering this essential work. Through this partnership, we hope to see an increase in the number of young carers identified and supported, the development of inclusive school environments that actively reduce isolation, and a boost in both educational attainment and emotional resilience among young carers. The long-term legacy of this work will be a network of schools across Flintshire that are better equipped to understand, support, and advocate for their young carers – ensuring no young person is left behind because of the responsibilities they carry.
Bridgend Carers Centre (BCC) plays a vital role in supporting unpaid carers across Bridgend County Borough. As a trusted Carers Trust network partner, BCC offers a wide range of services that help carers maintain their wellbeing and continue in their caring roles. Their holistic support includes one-to-one emotional assistance, welfare benefits advice, debt and legal support, counselling, life coaching, and practical respite opportunities. BCC is known for delivering these services in a variety of accessible settings, including at their centre, in people’s homes, schools, colleges, and within the wider community.
We are supporting BCC to continue and expand its ROOTS (Recognising Our Opportunities to Succeed) project, which focuses specifically on young carers and young adult carers aged 5-25. These young people often shoulder significant responsibilities at home, which can negatively affect their access to education, mental health, and future opportunities. Many come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and ongoing challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis and lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have only increased the pressures they face. The ROOTS project delivers critical one-to-one support, group sessions in schools, awareness-raising activities, and annual training for school staff – all designed to build resilience, reduce isolation, and improve educational outcomes for young carers.
With our continued funding, BCC will be able to support at least 125 young carers each year, with a significant proportion accessing one-to-one support, engaging in training and activities, and reporting improved wellbeing. The project also aims to embed long-term change by working with all nine comprehensive schools and 25 primary schools in the area, delivering annual training and helping schools achieve the Young Carer Friendly Award. This whole-school approach fosters understanding, reduces stigma, and ensures that young carers are better supported by their teachers and peers. By continuing to invest in ROOTS, we are helping to build a brighter, more equitable future for young carers in Bridgend – ensuring they feel seen, supported, and empowered to pursue their goals.
YMCA Cardiff Group, part of the world’s largest youth charity, has long been a cornerstone of support for vulnerable and marginalised young people across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. The organisation provides a wide range of services, from supported accommodation to specialist programmes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, girls’ mentoring, and healthy relationships education. A key part of this provision is their well-established Young Carers Project, which delivers vital support to children and young people who take on caregiving roles within their families – often at the expense of their own education, wellbeing, and social development.
We are proud to continue our support of YMCA Cardiff’s Young Carers Project, which plays a crucial role in reaching young carers across the region. With over 4,000 young carers identified in Cardiff and the Vale – 26% of whom provide over 34 hours of care a week – the need is substantial and pressing. These young people face a range of challenges, including social isolation, poor mental health, school absences, and limited access to peer activities. The Young Carers Project offers a tailored programme of respite activities, one-to-one mentoring, group sessions, youth clubs, and school-based interventions – all designed to give young carers a break from their responsibilities, build their confidence, and help them succeed both emotionally and academically.
YMCA Cardiff’s holistic and long-standing approach means that young carers receive consistent, high-quality support that addresses their emotional, social, and educational needs. With our funding, we hope to help the project reach more young carers, particularly those who are currently under-served due to geographic or systemic barriers. Ultimately, our support aims to reduce isolation, improve mental health and school engagement, and ensure that young carers have access to the same opportunities as their peers – empowering them to enjoy their childhoods, build meaningful relationships, and plan for brighter futures.