Young carers at CCC
At CCC we are committed to ensuring that all students get the support they need to have a positive school experience, are happy in school and can achieve their full potential.
We know that for some students, factors outside of school can have a big impact on this, particularly if there is someone in their family or a friend who is ill, disabled, or has a mental health problem or an addiction. We think in every class there could be as many as 2 pupils who are helping to support someone because of one of these factors – we call these students young carers.
Students can be young carers for lots of different reasons:
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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 depression/anxiety is ok.
Some young carers might be doing lots of caring, others just a small amount but are impacted by the situation at home for example by worrying about the person with the health condition, or needing to do more things for themselves compared to other students.
There is lots of support available for young carers and their families should they ever need it – both inside and outside of school. At CCC we are setting up drop in sessions for students who are, or think they may be, young carers. This will take place every Monday recess 1 in Hums 4 - everyone welcome, you don't have to be a young carer to attend. We are also providing training for staff to help young carers to feel supported in school. Further information about Young Carers can be found here - https://www.westbank.org.uk/Pages/Category/young-carers
If you think that any of the above applies to your child, and that they might possibly be a young carer, then you can contact Claire Sowden csowden@cullompton.bep.ac for further information.
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 that these students could be 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 by letting us know what is going on if things have become difficult.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs C Sowden
Head of Year and Young Carers’ School Operational Lead