FROM THE WELFARE TEAM
DIXIT 12th November 2021
Young Carers Holyport College has recently adopted the role of a Young Carers Champion and Claire Druce, from the Welfare team will be taking lead on this. The aim of this role is to help recognise, promote and support young carers within our school community and work closely with these young people and their families. Young people with caring responsibilities are not always easy to identify, many young carers are ‘hidden’ for a variety of reasons.
As a college we are keen to identify these young people so we can ensure they are supported. Quite often a young carers personal ,physical and emotional health and education and social opportunities are all affected by the family situation and their caring role. What is a young carer? A young carer is someone who: Is under the age of 18 years old and provides regular and ongoing care to a family member who is physically or mentally ill, disabled, or misuses substances. Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult.
What activities might their caring role involve? The tasks and level of caring undertaken by young carers can vary according to the nature of the illness or disability, the level and frequency of need for care, and the structure of the family as a whole. These can include:
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Practical tasks – cooking, housework and shopping. Physical care – lifting or helping someone use the stairs. Personal care – dressing, washing, helping with toileting needs. Emotional support – listening, calming, being present. Managing the family budget, collecting benefits and prescriptions. Medication management. Looking after younger sibling Helping someone communicate.
If you feel that your young person fits into the category of a young carer please contact Claire Druce at c.druce@holyportcollege.org.uk so the college can register them as such and make sure they have support in place. We will also be working in close partnership with Family Action RBWM Young Carers Service. Contact details for Family Action Young Carers Service Telephone 01628 626991 Email Address rbwm.yc@family-action.org.uk Website https://www.family-action.org.uk/
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