Young Carers
Hayes Primary School is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school and achieve their potential.
We seek to raise awareness of young carers so that any child acting as s Young Carer can be identified and supported. Pupils already identified as Young Carers know that they can speak to our designated young carers leads or any member of staff if they feel they need extra support. We meet as a group every half term for our "Young Carers Lunch Club" where all the children come together and share their lived experiences, support each other, chat and swap advice, whilst tucking into a delicious lunch. We also go on an annual trip, as a treat for our amazing young carers who do so much for others.
The school has an effective referral system and strong partnerships in place with relevant external agencies, including referring to Bromley Well Young Carers Service. The school only shares information with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families, and with their consent.
Our designated Young Carers School Leads have responsibility for the young carers and their families. Families and students can speak to them to access support. We actively seek feedback and ideas from our young carers and their families to shape and improve support.
We will strive to achieve best practice for students and families in our school in order to provide them with the best chance of success in their future.
Are you a Young Carer?
A Young Carer is someone under the age of 18 who has caring responsibilities for a family member at home. This person could be a parent, grandparent, brother, or sister.
They may have:
- A serious or long-term illness
- A physical disability
- A mental health problem
- Problems with drugs or alcohol
- A learning disability
- Difficulties in coping with being a parent or carer
Young Carers may carry out tasks and household jobs like:
- Preparing and cooking food
- Helping with personal care and hygiene
- Giving medication
- Communicating on someone’s behalf
- Ensuring someone’s safety
- Providing emotional support
- Paying bills
- Looking after other family members such as siblings, taking them to school, doing their laundry etc
- Doing housework
- Translating or interpreting for someone or speaking on behalf of someone who has difficulty speaking or communicating for themselves
Being a carer means looking after someone who could not cope without their support, but they could be offering support for just a couple of hours a week.
Many young people don’t see themselves as carers and may not realise there is practical and emotional support available.
The impact of being a young carer may be that :
- You have responsibilities at home that prevent you from spending time with your friends, or inviting them around your house.
- You feel sad, angry, guilty or embarrassed about the help you give to anyone at home.
- You feel upset that friends don’t have the same responsibilities.
- You avoid telling anyone outside the family about your home situation.
Bromley Well provides support for young people who care for others - Young Carers. They support Young Carers aged 4 to 19 to manage caring relationships whilst enjoying childhood.
The service provides:
- A Young Carers App - a safe, secure, online space dedicated to young carers in Bromley borough
- Opportunities to meet with other young carers, have fun, discuss any worries and try out new activities
- Emotional support to discuss your caring role and any worries or questions you may have
- Counselling support by professionals from a local service in central Bromley
- Workshops to help develop your practical life skills
- Workshops to help you think about your mental wellbeing and develop strategies for managing emotions
- Leisure and social activities including outings and special events
- Quarterly Young Carers Forum for you to share ideas and discuss ways to improve and develop the service we provide
- Support for transition / changes in your life e.g moving to secondary school, changes in your caring role, preparing for adulthood
Families can self refer, or we can refer on your behalf and support you with the process.
The designated young carers leads for Hayes Primary School are Mrs Moreton and Mrs Griffin.