Barnes Farm Infant School has been given a Bronze Award for their work to make sure students don’t miss out on an education because they are young carers.

 

“To achieve their Bronze Award , Barnes Farm Infant School has demonstrated that it supports young carers in many ways, including homework clubs and drop-in sessions with a member of staff who is responsible for this vulnerable group of pupils.  Vital information about how to identify young carers is made available to all school staff, and noticeboards and the school webpage let students and their families know where to go for help”.

The Young Carers in Schools programme helps primary and secondary schools improve outcomes for young carers and celebrates good practice through the Young Carers in Schools Award.

Barnes Farm Infant School is committed to developing provision for young carers and their families.

We will capture the commitment by widening our provision, building on the needs of the young people and better meet young carers’ needs by reviewing Barnes Farm Infant Schools provision for young carers with a view to ultimately achieving best practice.

How we will achieve this:

• The whole school is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other children and achieve their potential.

• Appointing a designated Young Carers’ School Lead with responsibility for young carers and their families. Pupils and families will be made aware of the identity of this lead and how to contact them to access support.

• The school only shares information with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families.

Barnes Farm Infant School will actively seek feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to shape and improve support.

• The school has an effective referral system and strong partnership in place with relevant external agencies, including referral to Young Carer agencies providing key workers who will work with young carers and families.

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.If you think your child might be a young carer or could be affected by any of the issues we’ve highlighted, please contact Mrs Robinson or Mrs Webb via the school office.

 

Each year, we raise awareness of Young Carers by acknowledging Young Carers Action Day.

Young Carers Action Day (YCAD) is an annual event, organised each year by Carers Trust. This year’s Action Day will be on 16th March 2022 and will be all about securing action to help address the isolation experienced by young and young adult carers. Once again, we are asking everyone to join in by wearing funky socks! Please see the poster attached.

It’s a day for raising public awareness of young carers and young adult carers, the pressures and challenges they face, and the incredible contribution they make by caring for their family members and friends. It is also a day to call for more action to support young and young adult carers and give them the extra bit of help they need to live full and healthy lives.

The day attracts widespread participation and public attention. Each year Carers Trust secures widespread coverage of the day in both national and regional TV, radio and print media. Young Carers Action Day also attracts huge social media engagement with young carers and young adult carers all over the UK, sharing images, messages and other content like video, blogs and art. In the last few years #YoungCarersActionDay has trended on Twitter so don’t forget to add that to your social media output!

To help bring the day to life Carers Trust are offering many free resources to help you raise the understanding of Young Carers. These are available from their website.

https://carers.org/young-carers-action-day-2022/young-carers-action-day-2022-1. This area is constantly being updated so do check it out regularly over the next month or so.

Your designated Young Carer leads in your school can help support with getting in contact with Essex County Council’s Young Carer team who designate key workers to help young carers and their families. They can work alongside schools to ensure enough is put in place to help young carers and all aspects of theirs and their family’s lives.

If you require more information visit:

https://www.essex.gov.uk/Health-Social-Care/Families-and-childrens-social-care/Essex-Young-Carers

Address:

 Essex Young Carers 
PO Box 47 
C326 County Hall
Essex, CM2 6WN

 

 

Young carers are responsible for emotional, practical or physical care for a parent, sibling or other family member who has a physical disability, mental health issue or substance misuse issue. The 2011 Census statistics revealed that there are just over 166,000 young carers in England, but research reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The true figure could be closer to 700,000 young carers in England, equivalent to one in 12 school children many of whom are unrecognised and unsupported.

Research carried out by Carers Trust and The Children's Society shows that, on average, young carers miss or cut short 48 school days a year and often have lower levels of self-confidence, mental wellbeing and significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE level, because of their caring role. Ofsted's Common Inspection Framework states that inspectors will look at how well schools support young carers.  While some schools are doing this really well, others struggle and this causes real problems for young carers.

To help schools support young carers, the programme offers a step-by-step guide for leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff, with practical tools designed to make it as easy as possible for schools. Staff can also receive training through webinars and events and the programme also features a newsletter each term highlighting relevant policy developments, spotlighting good practice and giving updates on the programme’s successes.