Children and young people want professionals to listen to them, to talk to them and, above all, they want to be recognized as important to the parent they live with.

In November 1999 a small group of young people involved with Barnardos Action with Young Carers (AWYC) were invited to take part in a conference launching the report ‘Keeping the Family in Mind’ (Göpfert et al., 1999; Mahoney, Chapter 23). The project, like other Young Carer projects, provides a service for children and young people who live with someone with a mental health problem, many of whom take on caring roles and responsibilities. All of the young people who participated care for a parent with mental ill health and receive support from staff at the AWYC's project. We know from research and consultations with children and young people that they value being listened to and drawing upon their own experiences (see Cooklin, Chapter 21). They have some very important messages for professionals and policy makers.

Introduce yourself, tell us who you are and what your job is

Young people report that they are often ignored by professionals. They are not given information about what is going on in the family and who and why professionals are visiting. The way in which professionals deliver their service to a family can have a direct effect on other family members.