Young Carers
Advice includes:
- Teachers should tell only those staff that need to know, and only with the young person's permission. 75% of local young carers do not tell their schools about their caring role because they are afraid of people finding out or interfering. Most young carers say they want teachers to know, but they do not want to be treated any differently.
- They should speak to the young person in private and not in front of their peers. They should establish what the young carer needs and how they can help.
- Teachers should be sensitive to cultural issues. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has information on research about young carers in black families.
- Teachers should allow the young person the use of a phone to contact home during break or lunchtime. Young carers often stay off school when the person they care for is doing badly, rather than spend all day worrying about them.
- It's important to be flexible. By the time many young carers set off for school, they may have already helped an adult with washing, dressing or using the bathroom, as well as getting younger brothers or sisters ready for school. It may not be their fault if they are late.
- Young carers may get little support at home with homework, and little time to do it. Lunchtime homework clubs can help, or extra time for homework.
- Young carers should be allowed time to talk about issues and worries at their own pace. Teachers should listen to the child's perspective and be sensitive to their needs.
- Young carers need to hear that their education is important and that their school will look for ways of supporting them.
- Many young carers lack self-esteem, so any opportunity to achieve at something other than caring can be valuable. A local young carers' project will offer ideas and activities. You can find these on the young carers' websites of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers or the Children's Society.
- School nurses can help by asking pupils if anyone at home is poorly and if they help look after anyone at home.
- Teachers should encourage the school to promote tolerance of disability and mental illness. Bullies often use words like 'nutter' or 'retard' to describe young carers' family members. A peer-led approach to bullying can help.
- Parents who have care needs can often be scared of services taking their children away, so teachers should approach the subject with sensitivity.
- Teachers should provide information on what projects and services can help and liaise with appropriate agencies.
What schools can do
One project found that 75% of the young carers they supported had not been known to be carers by anyone in their school.
Schools can help by:
- Developing close links with local young carers' projects, such as those run by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers or the Children's Society's Young Carers Initiative.
- Incorporating information on young carers into lesson plans for PSHE. Several young carers' projects have useful lesson plans or teachers' packs.
The youngcarers.net site contains information for young carers, for parents and for a range of professionals. Education professionals are provided with a sample lesson on bullying which can be found at:
The above is a KS3-4 lesson. There is more info for teachers at the website below. This includes a short "Sample Young Carers School Policy." The site also has a "Teachers' Action List" and "School's Action List" to help answer the question "How do I help a young carer?"
Some ideas for action include:
- Inviting local young carers projects to do presentations in assemblies.
- Designating a named person as a link person with young carers groups and other agencies, with special responsibility for raising awareness of young carer issues in the school.
- Making it easier for parents with disabilities or health problems to visit the school or to be involved in their children's education, and consider the barriers they might face.
- Investigating how schools and local authorities might be able to support young carers and their families. See the relevant area of TeacherNet for information.
A training pack for awareness training for Connexions staff has been developed by Action For Carers (Surrey), the Surrey Careers Service and Carers UK to better inform those working with young people at their transition stage from school to further education or employment about the needs of Young Carers. This is available from:
The Young Carer Research Group has a readable and practical piece of research on young carers in schools with recommendations for action at: