Laira Green Primary School- Young Carers
Laira Green Primary School Primary School
Laira Green Primary School is committed to supporting young carers to access education and are offered appropriate support to access the education to which they are entitled.
Definition
A young carer is a child or young person who is helping to look after someone at home. Most are caring for a parent, commonly in a single parent family, but some may be taking responsibility for a sibling, grandparent or other relative. In some instances, a young carer may care for more than one family member.
The person they look after will have one or more of:
- Physical disability (including sensory disability)
- Learning disability
- Mental health problem
- Chronic illness
- Substance misuse problem
Caring Tasks
A young carer will take on additional responsibilities to those appropriate to their age and development.
A young carer might be providing the main care or share responsibilities with another family member.
The caring tasks that a young carer has to deal with can range from:
Nursing care - giving medication, injections, changing dressings, assisting with mobility etc.
Personal intimate care - washing, dressing, feeding and helping with toilet requirements
Emotional care - being compliant, monitoring the emotional state of the person cared for, listening, being a shoulder to cry on, supporting a parent through depression and trying to cheer them up.
Domestic care - doing a substantial amount of housework, cooking, shopping, cleaning, laundry etc
Financial care - running the household, bill paying, benefit collection etc
Child care - taking responsibility for younger siblings in addition to their other caring responsibilities
Possible effect on education
Laira Green Primary School acknowledges that there are likely to be young carers among its pupils, and that being a young carer can have an adverse effect on a young person’s education. Due to their responsibilities at home, a young carer might experience:
- Being late or absent due to responsibilities at home
- Concentration problems, anxiety or worry in school
- Emotional distress
- Tiredness in school
- Lack of time for homework
- Poor attainment
- Physical problems such as back pain from lifting
- False signs of maturity, because of assuming adult roles
- Behavioural problems (taking out their anger or frustration)
- Lack of time for extra-curricular activities
- Isolation, embarrassed to take friends home
- Limited social skills
- Bullying
- Feeling that no one understands and that no support is available
- Low self esteem
Mrs Trembath and Ms Frost are always on hand to support you if you need someone to talk to or are worried about anything. You can contact them by: email inclusion@lairagreen.plymouth.sch.uk
Phone: 01752 660247
Lisa Trembath- Senior Leadership Team Young Carers Lead
Jan Frost- Young Carers Operational Lead
More support is available on the Children’s Society Young Carers website.
