Young Carers
Young Carers at Cordwalles Junior School
What is a Young Carer?
A ‘young carer’ is a young person who provides extra care to a member of their family.
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They might be providing physical support to a parent with a physical illness such as fibromyalgia or ME, such as cooking, fetching things or helping with things like putting shoes on or doing the shopping
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They might be helping a parent with a disability who needs help with more personal tasks such as getting dressed, bathing or changing dressings
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Or it could be more emotional support – like being there if their autistic sibling is upset, taking responsibility for young siblings whilst parents attend health appointments, or checking that a parent with a mental health diagnosis is okay.
Cordwalles Junior School works with local and national organisations to identify Young Carers and offer support to them within school and outside school. We run a monthly group giving the children a regular space to meet with other Young Carers in a social environment. This group offers the children a safe space to talk about anything they need to that they might feel they can’t talk about elsewhere.
Our designated member of staff who is our Young Carers Champion is Mrs Abi Stevens. Parents can request support for their child, if they think they may be a Young Carer, by speaking to Mrs Stevens or emailing info@cordwalles.org
Even if you feel your child or family are doing really well and don’t need any support, we find that it’s better for us to be aware and have them on our radar as potential young carers, in case the situation suddenly changes and they (or you) do need support. It just means that you and your child don’t have to start from scratch with letting us know what is going on if things have become difficult.
If appropriate, the school can support parents in applying to Surrey Young Carers, or parents can complete the referral themselves using the below link:
https://www.actionforcarers.org.uk/for-professionals/professional-referral-to-action-for-carers/
