Young Carers ? What Can Governors Do?

Young Carers- What Can Governors Do?

 "I used to run away from school because I always wanted to be with my mum. I used to think that my mum was going to die. I was about eight?.they treated me as if I was playing truant."^[i]

That quote comes from one of the UK?s 175,000 young carers, children who help to look after a parent or a sibling who is disabled, physically or mentally ill or has a substance misuse problem. Young carers regularly carry out significant caring tasks and responsibilities which are inappropriate to their age. They can be relied on to administer medication, help someone to get up and get dressed or helping someone use the bathroom.

Most young carers are not known to be caring by school staff and even actively hide the fact to avoid bullying by peers, so being a young carer can be a hidden cause of poor attendance, under achievement and bullying, with many young carers dropping out of school or achieving no qualifications. However, there are some simple and inexpensive steps that all schools can take to help young carers and in doing so, raise standards and attendance.

The DfES recommends that all schools have a lead professional for young carers.  You can find resources, checklists and a sample school policy at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers? website, www.youngcarers.net, which can also link you to your nearest project (email youngcarers@carers.org ).

Some questions for your governing body to consider.  Does your school:

·           Include a question such as ?Are you helping to look after someone in your family?? in enrolment procedures?

·           Provide information or training for staff on spotting the warning signs and how to respond?

·           Work with a Young Carers Service, perhaps as part of extended school provision?

·           Access the Vulnerable Children?s Grant to support young carers?

·           Recognise that young carers are a group especially vulnerable to bullying?

·           Have a Young Carer Policy which tells pupils what to do if they are a young carer and what help they can expect?

·           Follow Education Maintenance Allowance guidance on young carers?

·           Include young carers in its plans to tackle truancy ? are absentees and their parents asked if they have a caring role?

·           Ensure that parents? evenings and other events are accessible to disabled parents who may have no private transport?

With a little flexibility and access to the right services, young carers can stay in education and achieve to their potential, rather than having to choose between caring and an education.