Young carers

What is a Young Carer?

A young carer is a student who helps to look after a family member; this may involve physical or emotional care, or taking responsibility for someone’s safety or well-being. However the level of responsibility assumed by a young carer is often at a level beyond simply helping out with jobs at home, which is a normal part of growing up; as such it may impact on the education of the young person. Our aim is therefore to support the young carers within the school and to raise awareness of the role of young carers.

Comberton’s Young Carers group

The Comberton Young Carers group meets regularly in order to ensure that the students who are young carers are aware of the support available and can share their experiences with others in similar situations. Informal meetings are led by the students, involve a range of activities, and are always fun! Students also access activities with young carers from across the county, such as the Carers Week celebration trip to Grafham Water.

Support for Young Carers and their families

For some young carers attending the afterschool group is not how they want to approach support, and so for these students simply knowing they can quickly and easily access help is enough; an open door policy works and having a named member of staff (Miss Izzy Baker) means the students feel they do not need to explain their circumstances every time a concern arises and that their privacy is being respected. In addition to offering encouragement and support within school, the group also has access to external organisations. Centre 33 regularly liaise with the school and are able to offer assistance to the young carers and their families outside school through a national network.

For parents having a named contact at school is helpful, especially when circumstances change, and Miss Baker is always happy to speak to concerned families. Information about Centre 33 who support the Young Carers group is available from: http://www.centre33.org.uk/young-carers/

An important part of the group’s ethos is to raise awareness in the community of the role of young carers and assemblies, staff training, and events such as celebrating National Young Carers Day all contribute to this and help to ensure that the young carers in our midst are admired for what they do.

If you would like to find out more about the Young Carers group, please do not hesitate to contact  Miss Baker ibaker@combertonvc.org