Warwickshire County Council celebrates Young Carers Action Day 2021 Warwickshire County Council, along with Warwickshire Young Carers, is celebrating Young Carers Action Day, which is b...
Warwickshire County Council celebrates Young Carers Action Day 2021
Warwickshire County Council, along with Warwickshire Young Carers, is celebrating Young Carers Action Day, which is being held on Tuesday 16th March 2021.
Hosted nationally by Carers Trust, the theme this year is Protecting Young Carers Futures and recognises the many skills young carers have as a result of their caring responsibilities. The day also recognises the exceptional work young carers do for their families and the need to support their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Warwickshire County Council is committed to supporting young carers and commissions expert support services to ensure they are recognised and can access the help they need to support their families. For this year’s Young Carers Action Day, the council and its partners will be looking to raise awareness of the difficulties young carers and young adult carers may face, celebrate the skills that are gained from a caring role and finally, pledge to take action to protect young carers and young adult carers futures.
In Warwickshire, just like other areas of the Country, there are many of children and young people who regularly assist members of their family with daily tasks because a family member has a disability, long term illness, mental health condition or has a substance dependence. Their caring role ranges from helping with everyday household tasks, administering medication, assisting at appointments or emotional support to name a few. This means young carers often have very limited the time to do schoolwork, socialise with their friends or enjoy fun activities or interests.
Warwickshire Young Carers has been working with young people in the county since 1999 and currently has over 2,600 young carers known to them. The service provides activities and groups as well as one-to-one support in the community and in schools. By providing advocacy for young people, the service helps to ensure young carers reach their full potential despite their caring responsibilities.
Young carers develop many skills as a result of caring for family. This year for Young Carers Day 2021 we would like to recognise the transferable skills of young adult carers which can be utilised by businesses as young people seek employment. Young carers often have a strong sense of responsibility and juggle home and school life, they can also be very empathetic due to their caring responsibilities. These skills are invaluable to employers and should be recognised.
Rachel Faulkner, newly appointed Chief Executive from Warwickshire Young Carers said: “We work with some of the most complex families across the county and a range of professionals to support the additional needs of our young carers. The service is proud to work with Warwickshire County Council and we recognise how invaluable young carers and their skills are as a result of caring for someone. Caring in the workplace should be normalised by employers as young carers can bring unique skills and abilities not gained from school or training.”
Becky Hale Assistant Director Strategy and Commissioning said: We are committed to supporting and recognising the work that young carers do for their families. Young carers often wear many hats by juggling home and school or work life, making them highly skilled and reliable individuals. The Warwickshire Young Carers service supports young people to manage caring responsibilities and provides support to families so the young person can thrive. We urge all our partners to pledge to take action to support and protect our Warwickshire’s young carers. And, if you are a young carer, we encourage you to reach out to our local provision through Warwickshire Young Carers so you can get support to help you to thrive whilst fulfilling your caring roles.
If you or anyone you know is caring for another person please visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/carers
For more information about Warwickshire Young Carers please visit www.warwickshireyoungcarers.org.uk
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