Young carers produce a leaflet to raise awareness of young carers
Young carers from Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have worked together to produce a leaflet which aims to raise awareness of young carers in schools and colleges.
Young carers leaflet
A creative workshop was held with the young people, and a Z’ style leaflet produced. It has information for young carers, or those who may not self-identify as young carers on one side, and information for staff on the other.
Young carers have told us they want to be treated as a young person first and an individual in their own right. They have also spoken of a need for a consistent approach for young carers in schools, to enable a better understanding of managing schoolwork and access to further support as needed. The new leaflet helps to address this and will be distributed in schools and colleges.
Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council jointly applied for and gained funding from NHS England for this project, and were supported by the respective carer centres (Carers Trust4All and Telford Carers Centre) to bring the young people together.
Both councils want to raise awareness of the needs of young carers in educational settings to increase understanding of their needs and maximise their life chances.
Lee Chapman, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for adult social care, health and social housing, said:
“This is a terrific piece of work produced by our young carers, and a great way to raise awareness in our schools and colleges. This also links to Shropshire’s All-Age Carers Strategy, where raising awareness of carers of all ages is a priority.”
Barry Parnaby, Chair of Telford & Wrekin Carers Partnership Board, said:
“There are young carers in Telford & Wrekin who do not recognise they are a carer.
“If you devote time to supporting someone that cannot manage at home without help, you are a carer. That includes doing things like shopping, cleaning and looking after parents or siblings.
“I would encourage young people who think they are a carer to seek help.”
To view the leaflet and find out more about support for young carers in Shropshire visit https://shropshire.gov.uk/shropshire-choices/caring-for-someone-else/young-carers/
Further information
A young carer is a child or young person aged 5 to 18 years who looks after someone (usually a family member) who could not manage without that help. These young people carry out a substantial caring role for a member of their family who may suffer from a physical disability, mental health illness, or a drug or alcohol related issue. Things they do may include cooking, cleaning, looking after siblings and helping with medication. This can affect, for example, their time to socialising with friends, do homework or revise for exams.
Sources of local support for young carers
