CARERS NEEDA LITTLE CARETHEMSELVESWHAT WILL HELP US AS CARERS IN SCHOOL

� SOMEONE WE CAN TALK TO WHO UNDERSTANDS YOUNG CARERS AND WILL LISTEN.� TEACHERS TO BE FLEXIBLE IF WE HAVE ISSUES WITH OUR HOMEWORK AND SUPPORT US.� OTHER STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND.� SUPPORT WHEN WE ARE BULLIED.�� ACCESS TO OUR PHONES IN CASE ANYTHING IS WRONG AT HOME.� A SUPPORT GROUP WITH OTHER YOUNG CARERS, MENTORING OR COUNSELLING.� NOT TO BE LABELLED OR SEEN AS A TROUBLE MAKER.

WWW.YOUNGMINDS.ORG.UKWWW.NHS.UK/CARERSDIRECT/YOUNGWWW.YOUNGCARERS.NET

Fixers is a campaign that helps young people ‘use their past to fix the future’ and is part-funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund

These are the views/experiences of a young person and should not be relied

on or substitute for formal medical advice.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

YOUNG CARERS

FOR MORE INFORMATION

WE OFTEN EXPERIENCE THE FOLLOWING:

Staying at home to be there for our relatives

Helping them to get up, washed or dressed

Doing lots of household chores

Shopping, cleaning and cooking

Looking after younger siblings

Providing emotional supportProviding emotional support

Figures from the ONS* suggest 244,000 people under 19 are carers - about 23,000 are under 9.

*Office of National Statistics

BEING AYOUNG CARER IS DIFFICULT

THE REASONS FOR TAKING ON CARING RESPONSIBILITIES ARE VARIED BUT CAN INCLUDE:

* SERIOUS PHYSICAL ILLNESS* LONG-TERM PHYSICAL DISABILITY* NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS** MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS* DEMENTIA* ADDICTION* LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

FOR MANY OF US, ‘CARING COMES FIRST’,WHICH OFTEN MEANS THAT OUR EDUCATION WILL SUFFER..I.T’S EASY FOR SCHOOLS TO BE UNAWARE OF PUPILS’ UNAWARE OF PUPILS’ CARING ROLES BUT IT’S VITAL THAT ALL SCHOOLS PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE AND ACCOMMODATING APPROACH.

THE FACT THAT WE ARE CARERS IS NOT OFTENKNOWN BY SCHOOL STAFF, SO BEING A YOUNG CARER CAN BE A HIDDEN CAUSE OF POOR ATTENDANCE, UNDER ACHIEVEMENT UNDER ACHIEVEMENT AND BULLYING, WITH MANY YOUNG CARERS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL NOR ACHIEVEANY QUALIFICATIONS.

HELLO!

WE ARE ALL YOUNG CARERS AND WE SPEND A LOT OF OUR TIME HELPING SOMEONE CLOSE TO US. THIS HAS A BIG IMPACT ON OUR LIVES, OUR EMOTIONAL

DEVELOPMENT AND OUR EDUCATION.. YOUNG CARERS LIKE OURSELVES NEED RECOGNITION, UNDERSTANDING

AND SUPPORT. WE HAVE WORKED WITH AND SUPPORT. WE HAVE WORKED WITH FIXERS TO DESIGN THIS LEAFLET TO HELP OUR PEERS GET A BETTER

UNDERSTANDING ABOUT OUR DAY-TO-DAYRESPONSIBILITIES AND NEEDS.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

SIGNS THAT WE NEED YOUR HELP

* Regular or increased lateness or absence.* Concentration problems, anxiety, tiredness.* Under-achievement and late or incomplete homework: may be a sudden unexplained drop in attainment.* Few or no peer friendships; conversely the pupil may get on well with adults and act very mature for their age. their age.

* Victim of bullying, sometimes explicitly linked to a family member’s disability, health or substance misuse problem.* Behavioural problems, sometimes the result of anger or frustration expressed inappropriately.* Unable to attend extra-curricular activities.* Difficulties in engaging parents; parents not attending parents’ evenings. parents’ evenings.

* Examples based on young carers’ experiences.