Young Carers

Not all children get to live a carefree life with the simple things many other children take for granted, because they are caring for someone in their family who is physically, mentally ill, disabled or struggling with alcohol or substance abuse. Young carers take on a lot of responsibilities, including washing and dressing the person they’re caring for and looking after younger siblings – plus domestic chores such as cooking, cleaning and shopping. That’s a lot to take on for any child and many don’t realise they are doing anything special. Sometimes their additional responsibilities mean that young carers miss out on opportunities that other children have to play and learn.

The 2011 Census identified 177,918 young carers in England and Wales. One in eight of those were aged under eight. This is widely believed to be the tip of the iceberg, with some estimates suggesting that as many as one in five schoolchildren are young carers (University of Nottingham 2018), with this number increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What might a Young Carer do?

• Practical tasks, like cooking, housework and shopping.
• Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed. 
• Emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed.
• Personal care, such as helping someone dress.
• Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions.
• Helping to give medicine. 
• Helping someone communicate.
• Looking after brothers and sisters.

At Knotty Ash Primary we know that all families are different and will have a range of needs and requirements. Helping with household chores is a good way to teach our children to be independent and self-sufficient when they grow up. We just want to acknowledge that there are children in the community who are helping their parents, siblings or their extended family and without them, those jobs just wouldn’t get done. If you think your child has or is currently taking on a caring role then please let us know. All we want to do is support children and give them the help they need and deserve. This may simply be greater flexibility around homework or a listening ear but, without being told we may never know that a child needs help. There are also details of other agencies that can help below.

Young Carers Champion, Mrs Kelly O’Hanlon