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Young Carers - Parents Page

Raising Awareness of Young Carers 
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In the UK, there are usually about two young carers in every classroom. At least one of these children is likely to find school difficult because of what is happening at home.

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps look after a person with a long-term physical illness, mental health condition, or problems with drugs or alcohol. This help is unpaid and can be physical, emotional, or both. Sometimes, the person they care for would not be able to manage without their support.

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Research shared by BBC News and the University of Nottingham in September 2018 suggests there may be around 800,000 young carers in England. That means about one in five children aged 11–17 are young carers, with around 14,000 living in Surrey.

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Being a young carer can have a big impact on education. Around half of young carers say that caring makes their schoolwork harder. Many leave school with lower GCSE results than other pupils, and some miss a lot of school because of their caring role. A number of young carers even leave school without any GCSEs at all.

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Some young carers are also bullied because of their situation. Many feel tired in lessons because they help during the night or early morning. They may feel anxious, stressed, guilty about things they cannot fix, or lonely because they have so much responsibility at home.

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These challenges can start when children are very young and can continue into adulthood. They may limit opportunities for further education, training, and future jobs. Understanding and support can make a real difference to young carers and their learning.

 

What role do Young Carers play within the family

Young carers may have extra responsibilities at home that go beyond what most children are expected to do. These responsibilities can take up a lot of time and energy.

 

They might include:

  • Doing all the laundry

  • Mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms

  • Making meals or making beds for other family members

  • Helping family members get ready for bed

  • Watching over family members for periods of time

  • Helping to fill out forms

  • Managing bills or helping with budgets

  • Supporting family members at doctors’ appointments or in hospital

  • Helping family members get ready, checking they are okay, and reassuring them

  • Translating for people who have communication difficulties

  • Collecting prescriptions or helping to give medication

 

These tasks are a normal part of life for young carers, but they can be a heavy responsibility for a child or young person.

 

Multi-ethnic Group of Friends

Support Available

With the right support, being a young career brings benefits, and many express pride in their role. That support is available from Surrey Young Carers. SYC works with young people aged 5 to 18 who care for someone else and support their families, by proving support and creating opportunities for them to socialise with others in similar positions to themselves.

Email: syc@actionforcarers.org.uk

Website: surrey-youngcarers.org.uk

Telephone: 01483 568269

 

SYC also has a service for Young Adult Carers (YACs) aged 18-24 and they can be contacted on 01483 568269.

 

As a family, you can find further help from 

 

  • your local GP

 

 

Every year, we try to do a Charity Bike Ride as part of our P.E. curriculum to raise money for Action for Carers (Surrey) is a registered charity based at Astolat, Coniers Way, Burpham, Guildford GU4 7HL and Surrey Young Carers is part of this organisation. The money we raise goes to support these carers.

 

Declaration of Interest

Orchard Training’s charity of choice is Action for Cares (Surrey) because I have served 14 years as a trustee for this charity. I was also once a Young Carer and I am still a carer.

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