FOR MANY TEACHERS, THERE IS ENOUGH TO THINK ABOUT IN DAY TO DAY TEACHING, MARKING, PLANNING, THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM ……..

There are enough pupils who obviously need extra help and support, without worrying about the quiet ones, the ones who have odd days off, but do their best to catch up. There is enough to do advising those parent's who come to parent's evening without worrying about the ones who never seem to get there.

But these children may need your help. They may be young carers.

WHO ARE YOUNG CARERS?

Young carers are children and young people who provide care for a sick or disabled relative at home. The person they care for is often a parent, but it could be a grandparent or a brother or sister. Young carers are usually in lone parent families and may come from any social or cultural background. The parent may have a physical disability or a mental health difficulty, or dependence on drugs / alcohol.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

The young carer may be doing tasks like shopping, cooking or housework or they may be feeding, toileting and bathing their relative or providing emotional support.

They may be getting lots of help, or they may be doing all of the caring alone, having never spoken to anyone about what they are doing.

Their friends may not even realise that they are a young carer, let alone their teachers.

This is particularly likely if their relative has an illness about which others may be prejudiced and hostile, such as schizophrenia or HIV/AIDS.

ARE THERE ANY YOUNG CARERS IN MY SCHOOL?

It is difficult to know how many young carers there are because they are hidden from view, often afraid to ask for help. A worker in one London borough found 38 young carers in 8 secondary schools, but recognises that these 38 are the tip of an iceberg. Almost every school, primary and secondary, will have pupils who are young carers.

HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY YOUNG CARERS?

You may be able to find some young carers through the information already held in school records - for example information about parents' special needs or disability. Or you may become alerted to a problem because a particular pupil is often tired during the day, or misses school without explanation.

Their achievement in school may be adversely affected - their homework may be handed in late or not at all and they may find it difficult to concentrate. Young carers have been described as 'permanently worried' children. Some children who care may be withdrawn whilst others may have behavioural problems.

Of course, there are many young carers who are very adept at disguising the problems that they face - who get up in the night to finish homework in order to avoid being singled out as different or failing. This may be because they are afraid of what might happen if they are identified. They may fear that their parent will be 'put into care'. They may also be anxious that they will be shunned or teased by their peers if they are open about their home situation. For some young carers, school may be the only place where they can participate in ordinary children's activities. They may work extra hard so as not to draw attention to themselves and their situation.

The important thing is that staff is aware of young carers and they use their existing skills to talk to children and young people in a sensitive way and encourage them to open up about any difficulties at home. In the same way that schools usually deal with subjects like drug awareness or personal health and development, they could raise disability issues, which might lead to young carers identifying themselves and realising that they are not alone. Knowing that staff have some awareness may lead them to seek help, particularly if there is a named person that they can talk to.

PRACTICAL STEPS YOUR SCHOOL CAN TAKE TO HELP YOUNG CARERS.

• Many young carers would like to have access to a phone if their relative is feeling particularly unwell one day, so that they can phone and check on them at lunchtime. Can young carers use the office phone, in some privacy, at lunchtime for this purpose? This may mean that they have the confidence to come to school rather than be tempted to stay at home.
• Provide the opportunity for a young carer to discuss their personal situation with you, if that is their wish.
• Can you be flexible about homework if there is a real crisis?
• Can you introduce disability and illness awareness into the curriculum?
• Mention young carers in any liaison meetings that you already have with your local Education Welfare Officer, Connexions personal adviser, Social Worker or Health Worker. Can you set up a referral procedure with other professionals?
• And finally, remember that young carers have all the problems to deal with that other young people will be facing as well as their caring situation. It is possible that their relative may not be able to discuss these problems with the young carer. Be prepared to help with other enquiries too.

HOW CAN TEACHERS HELP YOUNG CARERS?

Emotional support for the young Person

• For many young carers, just having someone to talk to may be all that they need or want. Just knowing that they can sound off to you without being judged may make their situation better.
• Just having someone there to listen to them, to hear their opinions and understand how they may be feeling, without interfering or offering advice may be enough.
• Many carers say that no one ever asks how they are. It's always ' How's mum?' Ask how the young carer is.
• Once a relationship is built up, you could ask the young carer if they would like you to get them some more information or find out about local support. But if they say no, respect their opinion.
• Reassure them that you will not go behind their back. You could say that if they change their mind, you would be quite happy to help. (If you feel that they are at risk of harm in their situation, then you may have to follow your school's policy on breaking a confidence. If you have to do this, keep the young carer informed. They deserve to know what is happening.)

OBTAINING RELEVANT INFORMATION

The young carer may need information about their relative's disability or illness. There are associations covering most illnesses and disabilities. You may find the information at the front of the phone book or Thompson directory or the young carer could go to see their doctor, or maybe the school nurse could get some information for them.

Young carers when identified should be referred to the Wigan Councils Young Carers Scheme for an assessment of their and their families needs. There are nominated workers in the Support team who will work with the family to find out about their situation, the support they need and the agencies best placed to provide it.

CONTACT THEM ON 01942 705962/3