Young carers in Kingston upon Thames call for more support and understanding of challenges they face
Young carers in Kingston upon Thames will call for more support from governments across the UK, local authorities and schools in a series of activities today (15 March).
Their call comes on Young Carers Action Day, an annual event organised by Carers Trust with its 124-strong network of local carers organisations across the UK. The day aims to raise awareness of the constant challenges and pressures faced by young carers – children who need to look after a family member or friend who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol.
Activities taking place in Kingston for Young Carers Action Day include a reptile visit at one of Kingston Carers’ Networks Young Carers’ Project’s regular peer support drop in youth groups and a workshop on peer support and empathy exploring how and why young carers can support each other and looking and what young carers hide behind the mask they put on for other people. They will be creating social media content and cooking together all with the aim of reducing isolation and supporting mental wellbeing.
The theme for this year’s Young Carers Action Day is Make Time for Young Carers. Carers Trust survey results released this month show 51% of young carers and young adult carers in the UK are caring for between 20 and 49 hours a week. The work they do is also intensifying, with 56% saying the time they spent caring increased in the last year and 47% reporting they now care for more people than they used to.
These hours spent caring on top of daily schoolwork and revision for exams can have a real impact on children’s health and wellbeing, sometimes leaving them feeling overwhelmed. The Carers Trust survey showed 44% of respondents said they ‘always’ or ‘usually’ feel stressed. But young carers say this doesn’t have to be the case and there are some key things that would leave them feeling healthier and happier.
Most of all, young carers need adults to make more time for them. They need professionals and responsible adults to listen to them about the challenges they face and then spend time putting the support they need in place.
To help the estimated more than one million young carers across the UK, Kingston Carers’ Network, Carers Trust and young carers are calling for:
- Improved support in schools for young carers, including a Young Carers Lead with strategic responsibility for identifying and implementing appropriate support.
- More access to breaks from their caring role.
- Better access to counselling support.
- More financial support, including increasing Carer’s Allowance and extending access to Carer’s Allowance to unpaid carers in full-time education.