Who cares for our young carers?
In May, 2019, our report, ‘Provision for young carers in secondary schools, further education colleges and pupil referral units across Wales’, explored how well educational providers support the needs of their young carers.
Do we know who our young carers are?
Many young people hide their caring roles in case they are bullied, or because they don’t want to let their families down. We found that many schools and colleges simply don’t know who their young carers are. If they don’t know which of their learners have these responsibilities, then it’s unlikely they’re providing the care, support and guidance that these individuals need to succeed in their education and lead happy and healthy lives.
So what do good schools and colleges do to improve young carers’ experiences?
Create a supportive environment
Good providers make sure they know who their young carers are. They create a supportive environment that encourages staff and learners to talk openly and positively about all sorts of issues. This reassures young people that it’s ok to talk about their worries and concerns.
In inclusive environments like this, young carers feel safe and are more likely to come forward and tell their teachers about their caring responsibilities at home, or perhaps to ask a parent to do it for them.
Identify a member of staff
Feeling safe and secure is even more likely when a school or college identifies a specific teacher or member of support staff whose role it is to champion the rights of young carers. These people make sure that everyone works together to respond to the needs of these learners.
Young carers often come to trust these adults and are willing to share their concerns with them, ask them for help and advice, or use them as a sounding board when something is worrying them.
In the best cases, they always know where to find that trusted adult, often based in a safe, relaxed room where young carers can go during the day to get support and advice, or just to see a friendly face and have a cup of tea and a chat.
Provide practical help
Our best providers keep a close eye on the wellbeing and progress of their young carers. They understand that things can happen in the lives of these young people that make being in school or college difficult from time to time.
Sometimes, when young carers feel that everything is against them, quite simple things can help:
- allowing them to phone home during the day to check on family members helps them to manage any concerns that might distract them from their work
- providing uniform, books and equipment means they don’t have to worry about having the right things in school all the time
- having a quiet place to do their homework reassures them that they won’t get into trouble if they can’t do their work at home
- helping them to take part in cultural or sporting activities at lunchtime can boost their confidence and help them develop friendships
- offering transport once or twice a week after extra-curricular activities means that they don’t miss out because they can’t get home afterwards
Don’t forget educational progress and achievement
Of course it’s really important to ensure the wellbeing of young carers, but sometimes it’s all too easy to forget that their educational progress and achievement deserve the same attention.
Not surprisingly, we found that young carers have a better chance of doing well academically in schools and colleges that know their young carers well. These providers do their best to meet young carers’ needs across all aspects of their education and personal development.
The best providers track the progress of their young carers in the same way they do for other groups of vulnerable learners. This can make a big difference to how well these learners achieve in their education.
What next?
Our report on the subject includes some interesting and inspiring case studies from providers who have really made a difference to the lives of young carers.
You’ll also find links in there to several toolkits and award schemes that will help you to improve your provision. At the back of the report are some questions that will help you and your staff to think about how well you identify and provide for your young carers.
So, take a look at the report and the questions in the checklist, share them with your staff, and see how well you think you’re doing to identify, support and care for your young carers.
For further information on this topic, here are some extra resources: