A young carer is a person under the age of 18 who looks after someone who couldn’t manage without their help. This could mean looking after a parent, sibling, grandparent or family friend who has a disability, long term illness, mental health or drug and alcohol related issue. The term can also refer to siblings of children with SEND, who do not directly care for their sibling.
According to Hampshire County Council’s statistics, as many as 1 in 12 pupils could be a young carer.
At St Bede’s Primary School we would like to support our young carers in a variety of ways. We can offer support in school, invite them to drop in sessions where they can meet other pupils in the same circumstances, and provide a support staff member to talk to about any worries.
If given consent by the student’s parent/guardian, we can also refer the children to ‘Basingstoke Young Carers’ which can offer further support and activity days for the young carer.
Do you think you have a young carer in your household? If so we would love to hear from you. Our Young Carer initiative is solely based on us supporting the young carer in school – there is no judgement on your circumstances and home life. The children will not be singled out in school, but instead encouraged to ask for help from the right people, and supported by our Young Carers Champion and other young carers too.
Please contact Mrs Blackburn on f.blackburn@st-bedes.hants.sch.uk if you would like any further information, or to register your child as a young carer