This Young Carers Action Day (Wednesday 13 March 2024), Warwickshire County Council wants to reach out to all our partners as well as the friends and family of those young people who assist with everyday tasks and/or who provide emotional support to a family member who may have a physical or mental illness or disability.
Currently there are 1,500 young people under 18 years and approximately 1700 18- 25-year-old Young Adult Carers living in Warwickshire* who, in addition to attending school, carry out other responsibilities including: dressing younger siblings, cooking, cleaning, helping with homework and providing emotional support to family members due to alcohol or substance misuse or issues concerning mental health. According to recent JSNA data, over 300 young carers and young adult carers under 25yrs old are providing over 50 hours of support to a family member. This can have an impact on carers educational attainment, their mental wellbeing and impact their life negatively in later years.
Cllr Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health said: “As with adults who provide unpaid care, young people may not realise they are carrying out extra duties at home that may impact on their lives. We all need to support our young people to receive the help and support they need and not wait until there is a crisis. This Young Carers Action Day, Warwickshire can help to connect young carers with a growing network of support from all our partners.”
The theme to this year’s Young Carers Action Day is Fair Futures for Young Carers. All partners and families are encouraged to recognise and support those young people who may be doing additional support and may be in need of support themselves. If you know of a young person who provides extra help and support to a family member, then please do signpost them to Young Carers Caring Together Warwickshire, www.caringtogetherwarwickshire.org.uk/youngcarers
This service offers targeted support for to young carer's, including an assessment of need, information and advice, groups and activities, providing one-to-one emotional support, as well as facilitating access to health and wellbeing support.
For Young Carers Action Day 2024, Young Carers Caring Together Warwickshire will be inviting young carers and their families to film a glimpse into their lives. The young carers involved will express in their own words, their aspirations for the future and describe the support they look for to help them with their caring duties. Along with the videos, Young Carers will be encouraged to write a letter to their future self, which they will post into a time capsule and buried. To get involved and for more details go to https://www.caringtogetherwarwickshire.org.uk/
Claire Dale, Chief Executive Officer at Carers Trust, Heart of England said: “Young Carers Action Day is a hugely significant day for us as we amplify the voices of young people who are helping care for loved ones in addition to everything else that comes with being a young person in terms of schoolwork, revising for exams etc. This year’s theme is fairer futures for young carers which will see us focus on why caring should not be a barrier to learning, earning or being able to get on in life.
“In consultation with Carers Trust nationally young carers have said that access to improved support in schools, access to breaks from their caring role, easy access to counselling and financial support would help to make them feel less overwhelmed, healthier, happier and ultimately contribute towards a fairer future. Whilst we aim to support young carers with these issues every day, on Young Carers Action Day, we will be shouting that little bit louder on behalf of young people with care responsibilities.
For many young people who have a caring responsibility, mental health is also a concern. In addition to the support provided by Young Carers Caring Together Warwickshire, the Council is keen to promote platforms, including website, Kooth.com, which provides a means for young carers to share thoughts and feelings anonymously with mental health experts. The platform offers a daily journal, discussion boards, and helpful articles. Go to www.kooth.com
For information and advice, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/carers
To learn more about Young Carers Warwickshire Caring Together, visit www.caringtogetherwarwickshire.org.uk
To understand more about young carers and how to support them, access the Free online Young Carers Aware Training at https://youngcareraware.warwickshire.gov.uk/index.html?lms=none&enable-assessment=true