Kingston Carers Network (KCN) has been awarded £145,979 from The National Lottery Community Fund to expand support for young carers in schools across Kingston over the next three years.
The funding will help us launch a Young Carers in Schools project, supporting young carers to be identified earlier, feel safer asking for help and access the support they need to learn, develop and thrive.
Young carers are children and young people who help care for someone at home who may have a disability, long-term illness, mental health condition or substance misuse issue, all while balancing school and their own personal lives.
Over the next three years, we will work with Kingston secondary schools to help them identify and support young carers in their schools by expanding school-based peer support groups, providing 1:1 mentoring and young carer leadership opportunities.
By improving identification and support, we hope to help young carers feel more confident in school, improve attendance and participation, strengthen wellbeing and increase their sense of belonging, agency and aspirations for the future.
J is an 11-year-old young carer who has been recently supported through KCN’s Young Carers Project. When starting secondary school, she felt isolated and struggled with anxiety and friendship difficulties, often without anyone to sit with at lunch.
Through our lunch clubs, mentoring and advocacy, J has now built friendships and grown in confidence, leading to significantly improved school attendance and a successful request for extra time completing assignments. J’s story demonstrates the impact of tailored support and reinforces the need to expand this work across more schools through a dedicated Young Carers in Schools project.
“We will work closely with schools to help staff better understand the needs of young carers, recognise potential signs that a student may be a young carer and feel more confident about what to do when a young person needs support,” said Klaire Osuji, our Young Carers Project Manager.
“We want young carers to feel safer and more confident disclosing their caring responsibilities and seeking support within school.”
The Young Carers in Schools project will be led by a new Young Carers in Schools Coordinator, a dedicated role focused on strengthening support for young carers across Kingston schools.
Rachael Stokes, our CEO, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund and to all National Lottery players for making this work possible. This investment will help us continue building a future where carers of all ages across Kingston are recognised, valued and supported to live and care well.”