Young Carers
A young carer is a person under 18 who provides regular care for a family member with a physical or mental illness, disability, or drug or alcohol problem. The role goes beyond typical family help and can include tasks like cooking, cleaning, giving medication, or providing emotional support. When a young person's caring responsibilities become excessive, it can put them at risk of emotional or physical harm and impact their education and life chances.
The Ramsey Academy works with The Children's Society and Action for Family Carers to offer support session for our students.
Young Carers in Schools is an exciting England-wide initiative that equips schools to support young carers and award good practice. Run jointly the Carers Trust, we are improving the identification and support of young carers in schools across the country, so that they get the help they need. This initiative was initially funded by The Queen's Trust and The Big Lottery Fund, and has continuation funding from Thomas Cook's Children's Charity and Henley Festival.
Research shows that:
- 27% of young carers (aged 11- 15) miss school or experience educational difficulties (40% where children care for a relative with drug or alcohol problems) (Dearden, C, Becker, S, 2004).
- They have significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE level - the difference between nine B’s and nine C’s (The Children's Society, 2013).
- They are more likely than the national average not to be in education, employment or training (NEET) between 16 and 19 (The Children's Society, 2013).
- A quarter of young carers said they were bullied at school because of their caring role (Carers Trust, 2013).
The Young Carers in Schools programme aims to provide schools with the tools and resources to support young carers and reduce these negative impacts, giving them the same access to education and future life chances as their peers.
If you would like to find out more please visit:
Alternatively, you can contact one of the pastoral managers here:
Downloads
Young Carers At The Ramsey Academy
Action for Family Carers Leaflet
What schools have told us about the impact of the programme Page 1
What schools have told us about the impact of the programme Page 2
