3 minute read
Young Carers’ Project
Alex Klineberg catches up with Ruth Sullivan, manager of the Young Carers’ Project, which supports young carers in Brighton & Hove
The Young Carers’ Project at the Carers’ Centre is one of the most important charities in Brighton & Hove, offering many forms of assistance to young carers (aged 6-17 years), as well as support for young adult carers (16- 25 years).
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Young carers take on many responsibilities. They could be a young person dealing with an alcoholic parent, a non-able bodied sibling, a sick grandparent, etc. Some young carers can find themselves in very extreme positions, where they have to balance school work with providing round-the-clock care to a relative. Unsurprisingly, young carers often struggle with mental health issues of their own. They are forced to grow up very quickly.
We caught up with Ruth Sullivan, manager of the Young Carers’ Project, who gave us an overview of what their work entails: “We provide support for young carers targeting the areas they most need help with. This might be engaging with school or social services, giving them a break, or it can be as simple as helping them to meet new people who understand their experiences and difficulties.”
Things have become more challenging for young carers during the pandemic. Many relied on school as the one place they can escape
from their responsibilities. With the schools closed throughout much of the past year, their responsibilities as carers have increased.
“The pandemic has impacted young people in a profound way – educationally and socially. For young carers that’s even more so. They have lost their respite, their support networks and they are essentially left in a 24/7 caring role. There’s a presumption that everyone has two healthy and able-bodied parents at home to help deliver home schooling, but that’s simply not the case,” Ruth explained.
Many young carers in deprived areas don’t have proper internet access or computers, making it difficult to access online learning. The Young Carers’ Project can provide tablets and laptops. You can even donate a spare device for young carers to use: better than it gathering dust in a bottom drawer.
Special services are offered to young carers identifying as LGBTQ+. They can receive support from people within the community. As well as financial and practical advice, the Young Carers’ Project hosts cultural events and social activities – although these have become harder to operate during the pandemic.
Some of the art projects have been quite ambitious. These have included musical experimentations with rare synthesisers and even forming full-blown punk bands. The bands played in front of a live audience and even braved some Bowie and Iggy Pop covers. Nick Hudson – interviewed separately in this magazine – has collaborated with Ruth on these art projects.
“We’ve also organised a bunch of fundraisers with an array of local acts. The upcoming digital festival is a software version of this kinda format,” Nick said.
Two-hundred and 50 young carers are currently in the programme in Brighton. About a third are sibling carers, but most are caring for parents. Many of them will be the main carer in their household. Ruth and her team have been working hard to continue providing support during lockdown and the endless tier restrictions.
Living in lockdown has been tough on all of us, but for young people in unstable domestic situations it’s been even worse. There are around 800,000 young carers in the UK – no doubt more than you may have assumed. Not enough young carers receive the level of support they need. Many receive no care at all. Over a third are thought to have mental health issues.
At some point in life, we are all likely to need the assistance of a carer. Ageing and illness are the two mountains you can never climb. Young carers make huge sacrifices at a very delicate stage in life. The Young Carers’ Project provides them with the care and moral support they need. Check out their website for more information. You can support their work in a variety of ways.
