Can you answer the following question...
Is there a Young Carer in your class, form
group, year group?
If your answer is ‘NO’ can you be sure? Do you
know what to look out for? Do you know what
questions to ask?
In 2001 Census identified 3,300 young carers in Hampshire. Research suggests that
there will be several Young Carers in every school; their average age is 10 years.
Many will be late to school and unable to complete their homework on time. When
at school Young Carers may have difficulty concentrating due
to anxiety about the person they care for. In addition to
academic problems, many Young Carers have difficulty
integrating socially within the school environment, with some
being teased or bullied by their peers.
In spite of these problems the majority of Young Carers will not
be identified as such by staff in schools, partly because Young
Carers and their families often remain silent about their caring
responsibilities. This may be due to fears of the reactions of
school staff and peers and the stigma surrounding some health
conditions, addictions and disabilities or they are unaware that
help may be available.
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Identifying a Young Carer in school
Because of their responsibilities at home, a young carer might:
• Arriving late at school
• Missing days at school
• Tiredness
• Hunger
• Clothing or appearance may not be clean or tidy
• Underachievement
• Unable to complete home work on time
• Withdrawn, over sensitive, low self esteem
• Behavioural problems
• Difficulties with peer group, limited social skills
• Isolation, embarrassed to take friends home
• Not attending after school activities or activities in local area
• Non-attendance on school trips, particularly residential
• Being bullied
• Financial difficulties
• Physical problems, such as back pain from lifting
• False signs of maturity, from assuming adult roles
It also might be difficult to engage their parents (due to fears
about child being taken into care, fears about their condition being
misunderstood or their parenting skills being called into question).
School may need to make alternative arrangements for
communication about attainment.
THE DESIGNATED SCHOOL LEADER FOR YOUNG CARER IS:
………………………………………………………………………
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Questions and Answers
for School based staff
Q.
I’ve never heard the specific term 'Young Carer’
before - can you explain what it means please?
A.
A Young Carer is a child or young person who is taking
on significant caring responsibilities that are
inappropriate to his or her age. We are not talking
about young people who just help out around the
house, which is something that we would hope lots of
young people would do. Young Carers have family
members who have disabilities, physical or mental
illnesses or substance misuse problems. There are
three million children who have parents with some form
of disability, but the last census only found 175,000
Young Carers. Young people take on inappropriate
caring roles when their families are isolated and
unsupported, or when parents are unable to recognise
the responsibilities that their children are taking on.
Q.
I am a teacher in a very busy school. What are the
signs that I can look for in a pupil who has caring
responsibilities, and hasn’t approached a member
of staff for support?
A.
All schools have Young Carers, but many Young
Carers aren’t known to teachers. Some of the signs a
young person is a Young Carer are detailed on page 2.
Many Young Carers are at risk of being bullied, either
because other pupils perceive their families as different,
or because they lack social skills. Many Young Carers
are frightened of seeking support, but that doesn’t
mean that they don’t want and need help.
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Q.
If we discovered that a very young pupil were a
Young Carer, should we take particular action? Is
there a reasonable age-limit for when children are
too young, for example, to care for younger
siblings?
A.
The definition of a Young Carer is a young person who
is taking on caring responsibilities that are inappropriate
to their age. Younger Carers are at particular risk, but a
Young Carer’s needs vary enormously from individual
to individual. As a teacher, if you have concerns that a
child is at risk of significant harm or is in need of
support to protect their well-being, it is important that
you work with the young person, their parents and other
agencies to keep that child safe. It is important that the
school’s Designated Lead for Young Carers is made
aware and that any support can be dealt with using
Common Assessment Framework (CAF).
Often, a Young Carer can be best supported by helping
the family to get in touch with support that will ensure
the young person does not have to take on an
inappropriate caring role in the first place.
Q.
What can schools/teachers do as a whole to
support Young Carers while they are in compulsory
education?
A.
In line with national recommendations it is recommended that
all schools have a named member of staff with responsibility for
Young Carers’ needs. Hampshire expects that all
schools sign up to the Charter for Young Carers and
have an active Policy, training and information for staff
and governors in place known to all members of staff
and Governors. It is hoped that this will ensure that
many more hidden Young Carers are identified.
It is important that Young Carers are able to request
support. Some quite simple interventions can make a
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big difference, for example Young Carers tell us that
they would like access to a phone at lunch times, so
that they can phone home to check up on an ill or
disabled relative, rather than feeling they have to go
home. A school environment/ethos where Young
Carers and their parents are able to ask for support can
make a big difference.
Q.
One of my students is a Young Carer. His
schoolwork isn’t suffering per se, but as a teaching
assistant, I would like to do something to help. Do
you know whether any networks or similar exist, so
that he can perhaps get in touch with other young
people in the same situation?
A
It’s really encouraging that you want to help your pupil.
It is important that your Designated Lead Teacher for
Young Carers is aware of your concerns. S/he will
advice you further and will make a referral to Signpost
Young Carers as appropriate.
Q.
I am a Pastoral Manager/Attendance Manager with a
pupil who regularly stays at home to look after her
unwell mother, and also her siblings. I want to be
supportive, but am worried that this pupil is
missing school too often. I don’t know how to bring
this issue up without seeming insensitive.
A.
It sounds like you have identified that this pupil is going
to struggle without extra support. You can help by
asking the pupil what would help, and perhaps
negotiating extensions to deadlines or offering extra
support with particular pieces of work, so that the pupil
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knows you are trying to help, but also hears the
message that you value her education. Before asking
the Young Carer about her home situation, it is a good
idea to ensure that she knows your confidentiality
boundaries.
Q.
Looking at the indicators for identifying a Young
Carer, how do I distinguish between pupils who are
lazy with their homework and play truant and pupils
who often miss assignments and classes because
they are young carers?
A.
It is absolutely right that many of the signs that
someone is a Young Carer could also be signs of a
whole range of other difficulties, and this is one of the
reasons that around three quarters of Young Carers are
not known to be caring by their schools. It is really
important that you talk to the young person to identify
the underlying issues.
Q.
I am a Learning Mentor. How should I support
parents of Young Carers?
A.
Parents who have disabilities tell us that there are
many barriers to them feeling fully involved in their
children’s education. If parents don’t turn up at parents’
evenings, it is possible that there are physical barriers,
such as inaccessible buildings or lack of transport that
prevent them from doing so. Some parents who have
mental health problems may find formal situations
intimidating and would be more able to discuss their
child’s education over the phone, or one to one. You
might want to offer alternative opportunities for parents
to talk formally or informally about their children.
Obviously there is a limit to how much a busy teacher
can get involved in a pupil’s home situation, but
signposting parents to other services and letting them
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know that you would like to help their children as much
as you can will make all the difference.
Q.
How can I talk about Young Carers issues with my
class?
A.
This is a valuable piece of work, but it’s vital to be
aware that there may be pupils in your class who are
Young Carers but who have kept their problems secret
from everybody. You should bear this in mind if you are
using resources that encourage pupils to look at the
caring they do in their own lives. Many health
conditions attract stigma, so work of this kind is a great
opportunity to promote a positive view of disability.
It would be useful to point to the social model of
disability: disabled people are not disadvantaged by
their physical impairment so much as by inaccessible
surroundings and prejudice. Ideally, it would be good to
include information about Romsey Young Carers. Also, there is a
section for teachers on our website:
www.romseyyoungcarers.org.uk
Q.
Shouldn’t schools contact social services if a
Young Carer’s education is suffering? Don’t social
services have a responsibility to support members
of the community so that children’s education
doesn’t suffer?
A.
Schools should always contact social services when
they have reason to suspect that a child or young
person is at risk of significant harm. Many Young
Carers, while needing support, are not considered at
risk of significant harm, and the most effective way of
helping them is to work in partnership with other people
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that can support the child, and with agencies that
support adults who have care needs. It is important that
you communicate with the Designated Lead Teacher
for Young Carers and use the in-school support
systems.
Q.
How can I get a Young Carer to talk to me?
A.
It’s important to talk to the young person, either in
private, or with them and a supportive friend of theirs.
Most Young Carers tell us that they would like their
teachers to know their situation and to offer them
support, but many struggle to be open about problems
that they have been keeping secret for years. All pupils
should be aware of who they can take personal issues
to within school and exactly what will and won’t happen
if they do so. Pupils often have unfounded fears about
their personal information being shared too widely. As
with any other sensitive situation, the best approach is
often to do more listening than talking, and to work at a
pace that is led by the young person.
.
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Useful Contacts:
Young Carers Net
http://www.youngcarers.net/?gclid=CLuJlrrHz6MCFan-2AodkCMdbw
Young Carers Information for School Staff page 111
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
www.youngcarers.net
The Children’s Society - National Young Carers Initiative and
The Family Inclusion Project.
www.youngcarer.com
Whole Family Pathway Online resource for practitioners, also
available on Stockport SCWD website.
www.youngcarers.net
Barnardo’s - information about their projects which support young
carers
www.barnardos.org.uk
NHS Advice from the NHS for young carers. Includes Teen life
check.
www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/young/Pages/Youngcarershome.aspx
Think Family Toolkit: Improving Support for Families at Risk
www.publications.everychildmatters.gov.uk
Information specifically for teachers
www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/library/youngcarersandschools/
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk Tel 0845 4647
Kidscape an organisation dedicated to preventing bullying and child abuse
www.kidscape.org.uk
A network for young people who have or had a family member affected by
cancer
www.siblinks.org
Support for brothers and sisters of those with special needs, disabilities or
chronic illness
www.sibs.org.uk
Help and advise for single parents
www.onespace.org.uk
Over the wall – residential activity camps for children aged 8-17 who are
affected by serious illness - Telephone 02392 477110
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ROMSEY YOUNG CARERS
For more information please get in touch with us:
Mary Ward – project coordinator
Tim Ballantyne – project assistant coordinator
Keren Ben-Dor – schools and activities worker
9 Love Lane
Romsey
Hampshire SO518DE
Telephone: 01794- 515908
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.romseyyoungcarers.org.uk
This document was published by Jane Sargent at
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in October
2010 and modified by Romsey Young Carers in
January 2012.
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