Young Carers

A young carer is a person under 18 who looks after someone in their family or a friend who is ill, disabled, or has a mental health problem or an addiction. Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.  At Aurora White House School we support anyone who is a sibling of someone with any of the above conditions. They may not have an active caring role but are affected by the needs of another, e.g. are unable to do regular family activities due to the needs of someone else in the household.

What are some responsibilities they may undertake?

• Shopping, cooking, cleaning
• Managing medicines or money
• Providing personal care
• Helping people get out of the house
• Keeping an eye on someone
• Providing emotional support

Many are unidentified. This may be because:

• The condition of the person they care for is not obvious
• Young Carers do not realise they are carers/different from others
• They don’t want to draw attention to their caring role
• They don’t feel they can discuss it with friends
• They worry the family will be split up and they will be taken into care
• They don’t believe it will be helpful to tell someone
• Parents feel ashamed

The impact of being a Young Carer:

• Physical health – can often have a lack of sleep
• Emotional wellbeing – stress, tiredness, mental health problems, e.g. anxiety
• Socialisation – feel different/isolated from peers and have limited opportunities for socialising. They are also potentially more likely to be bullied due to their caring situation. 
• Education – significantly lower educational attainment if unsupported

Identifying Young Carers:

The above information should help you to identify whether you, your child, or someone you know may be a Young Carer. If this is the case, please contact Georgia Moore or David Clark.

Support in school for Young Carers:

• Members of staff (pictured above) are available for Young Carers to talk to
• Wellbeing support offered when needed
• Young Carers support group
• Assemblies to raise awareness of     Young Carers

How common is it?

Around 1 in 5 are Young Carers in the UK.