While many children rely on their parents to launder their clothes and bring home the weekly shop, for some youngsters it is the other way around.

For a variety of reasons they are, at an early age, taking on adult responsibilities.

Rebecca Stewart (not her real name) is one of those children. She took on the role of carer to her mum, who was alcohol dependent and died due to alcoholism.

Now 14, Rebecca is one of a number of youngsters who attend Barnardo’s Bradford Young Carers, and is drawing on her experience to help others.

For much of her childhood, Rebecca did not know that her mum was an alcoholic. “She used to drink wine and to me that was just normal,” she says.

She was around nine when she first began to think about how much her mum – who began drinking at 14 – relied on alcohol to get her through the day. “I realised that she depended upon alcohol a lot,” she says. “I had to make sure there was enough food in the cupboards and make sure I had enough money to buy food.

“My mum was not completely incapable,” Rebecca stresses, “I would often go with her to help get the things she needed. And when I first started secondary school she was quite helpful, but she slept a lot and I would get up and get ready without waking her, and have my breakfast.”

But as time went on, Rebecca’s mum became more dependent on her. “She suffered from agoraphobia. The corner shop was 30 seconds walk away but if there was another person in the street she would not go out. I had to make sure that she got to the shop before I went to school.”

An intelligent, lively-minded teenager, Rebecca was put in touch with the service after her grandmother began counselling following Rebecca’s mum’s death. “There seemed to be nothing available for young people. Then we found out about the children and adolescent mental health services, who put me in touch with Barnardo’s,” she says.

Aspects of her mum’s life were explained, such as why she woke up sweating and shaking.

Life at school was sometimes difficult for Rebecca, particularly after her mum died. A lesson in citizenship, in which the subject of alcoholism was covered, proved too much and she left the classroom upset. “I said that was what my mum died from,” she recalls. “I was in denial and tried to grit my teeth and get on with things.

“I told my friends and some were a bit shocked, but they are good friends and I know they are always there for me. It was not hard – I just did it. I had my grandma, she has been really supportive.”

Barnardo’s gave Rebecca the opportunity to learn about alcohol and its impact on lives, and talk about her experiences with others. “The first group I attended was about people whose parents were dependent on drugs and alcohol. It was so relaxed and really helped me,” she said.

“We try to match children in similar age groups,” says Katie Peacock, Barnardo’s hidden harm practitioner for Bradford Young Carers. “They talk about their experiences and take part in activities such as letter-writing. This could be to a person, or a substance, for example alcohol. Many young people find this useful.”

Says Rebecca: “It was the angriest letter I have ever written. I wrote that I didn’t know why alcohol was created and I didn’t want it to exist. It was in the style of a fairy tale, with alcohol taking the role of the bad guy.”

The service also looks at the effects of alcohol. “We had an ex-alcoholic talking about how he got his life back on track,” says Katie.

Such sessions helped Rebecca. “It was good to see that people can find a way out,” she says.

Now she is using her own experiences in the same way. She is a member of a hidden harm group and is on the service’s young carers’ committee, helping to guide workers in what young people want from the service.

It is carrying out valuable work to raise awareness of young carer issues in settings such as schools.

Barnardo’s Bradford Young Carers supports families with children aged between five and 18. They can be contacted on (01274) 481183, or visit barnardos.org.uk/bradfordyoungcarers.