Parent Carers
Am I a Parent Carer?
Parents do not always recognise that they are carers (as well as parents) when they have a child with additional needs. Are you a parent looking after a child with a special educational need or disability (SEND)? Are you supporting your child with their mental health or substance misuse? If the answer is yes, you are a parent and you are also a carer.
Parent carers, like all carers, can benefit from help and support. Your caring role may involve physical caregiving or advocating for you and your child. This may be placing additional demands on your time and energy, which can have an impact on your employment, finances, opportunities to socialise and your own mental health and wellbeing.




What we offer
If you’re a parent carer, you are not alone. Swindon Carers Centre is here to offer support.
If you contact us, we will take some key information for you and complete a short registration process to establish your needs and signpost you to any information that may be useful.
Our Parent Carer Support Practitioners are also available to help by:
- Completing a full Parent Carer Assessment and talking though your situation either face-to-face or by telephone.
- Talking through any questions or concerns you may have about yourself or your child. We can offer advice, and signpost you to external organisations able to help you and the child you’re caring for.
- Advising you of your rights as a carer.
- Linking you to other services available within Swindon Carers Centre, including support for young carers or our Welfare and Benefits Service.
- Supporting parents to look after their own mental health and wellbeing. We run a number of activities to give you a break from your caring role. We can also link you to groups run by other local organisations.
- Help with accessing funding if eligible.