Is my child a young carer?

Children can become young carers suddenly, or gradually a small responsibility can grow into more of a commitment over time. As many as 1 in 8 children have caring responsibilities, this could mean looking after a parent, sibling, grandparent or family member who has a disability, long/short term illness/medical condition, or drug and alcohol related issues. The child or young person does not necessarily have to be providing ‘hands on’ care to be recognised as a young carer; even if there are services in place and other members of the family supporting with care, the emotional impact and restrictions that children face due to illness or disability in the home can have an enormous effect on the child.

Shenley Brook End school can support young carers in a range of ways, from offering flexibility around homework deadlines to referring students to our wellbeing hub who can offer advice and emotional support through counselling and drop-in sessions. Additionally, with your permission, we can make a referral to Young Carers MK, who offer some activities and support both in school and outside of school, with family support in the home if desired.

Young Carers MK

If you are not already registered with Young Carers MK – you can contact them to register by clicking here.

We very much hope that we can work with you so that we can support our young carers in school. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch, via email elewis@sbe5d.com

Am I a young carer?

You may not consider yourself to be a young carer, lots of young people do not recognise that the help and support they offer at home, makes them a young carer.

Children and young people, who care for a family member (including siblings) because of the following are considered to be young carers:

• Physical or Mental illness
• Disability
• Drug or Alcohol related problems
• A short-term or chronic illness or disability, such as a person with cancer or who recently underwent an operation.

You may not want your school to know that you are a young carer, but we encourage you to tell a trusted member of staff if you care for someone at home. 

How you may be feeling?

As a young carer, you might find that being at school helps you to forget about your caring responsibilities and feel ‘normal’ for a while, but it may also make you feel under pressure. You may find it hard to juggle your responsibilities and emotions while dealing with your peers, study and homework.

Being a young carer may sometimes make you feel:

• Isolated from other students, they may not know that you care for someone at home
• No one else understands your experience
• Feeling different to other students
• Feeling that there is no one there for you, that the focus is always on the cared for person
• Feelings of guilt and worry, which can lead to feelings of resentment towards the cared for person
• Lack of praise and recognition
• You don’t have enough time to yourself
• Homework deadlines may cause you to worry

Do you need some flexibility with your homework deadlines, a quiet place to work, or someone to talk to?

You can talk to your form tutor, year leader, progress leader, any teacher, or attend the drop in at the wellbeing hub at breaktime or lunchtime.

If you feel more comfortable to get in touch via email, drop a message to wellbeing@sbe5d.com

If you are registered with Young Carers MK and would like to meet with a mentor or find out some information on activities that you can join in with - please speak to your form tutor, or email elewis@sbe5d.com. 

Support outside of school 

If you need to talk to someone outside of school, please reach out to the following:

• Childline is a free and confidential telephone helpline for children –Telephone: 0800 11 11 (Childline will not tell anyone that you have called). 
• Young Carers MK

How do other young carers feel?

Watch ‘Pie – A story for young carers’ here: Pie - A story for young carers - YouTube

Watch ‘Day in the life of young carer’ here: Day in the life of a young carer - YouTube

Watch ‘Charlie’s’ story here: Charlie's Story: A Young Carers Life - YouTube

Watch ‘Jaymelea’s’ story here: Story Of A Young Carer - YouTube