Young Carers

What is a Young Carer?

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 years who provides regular and ongoing care to a family member who is physically or mentally ill, disabled, elderly or misuses substances. A young carer will take on additional responsibilities to those appropriate to their age and development. Young carers may be primary carers, such as caring for a parent, or a secondary carer, such as helping to care for a sibling. A young carer becomes vulnerable when the level of care-giving and responsibility to the person in need of care becomes excessive or inappropriate for that child and risks jeopardising their emotional or physical wellbeing, educational achievement and life chances.

A young carer may undertake some or all of the following:

• Practical tasks

• Physical care

• Personal and intimate care

• Emotional support

• Household management

• Looking after siblings

• Interpretation

• Administering medication

• Taking responsibility of younger siblings

• Financial care

What is the impact of being a Young Carer?

Caring responsibilities that young carers undertake can impact on young people’s education in a number of different ways including, but not limited to, the following:

• Lateness

• Tiredness

• Lack of concentration

• Anxiety

• Non-attendance

• Late or no submission of homework

• Not participating in extracurricular activities and school events

• Experiencing bullying or isolation

• Underachieving academically

• Poor education/career choices

Who can help?

School Based Support

Mrs Neilson Young Carers Champion

Miss Jackson Young Carers Senior Lead

External Agencies

Halton Carers Centre - Address: 62 Church St, Runcorn WA7 1LD, Phone: 01928 580182

Website: https://www.haltoncarers.co.uk

The Children’s Society - https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/young-people/young-carers

Action for Children - https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/our-work-and-impact/children-and-families/young-carers/

Our Young Carers group meets every week, to have a chat and work on projects using their skills to improve our school environment.  They talk about strategies that can help to make day to day life easier for them, as well as having chance to have some time to themselves, and talk to other pupils who might feel the same. 

If you think that you might be a Young Carer, or you know someone else who might be, come and speak to Mrs Neilson about how the Young Carers group might be able to help.