Young carers at KLB School
At KLB, we are committed to ensuring that all students get the support they need to have a positive school experience, to be happy in school and to achieve their full potential.
What are Young Carers?
We know that, for some students, factors outside of school can have an impact, particularly if there is someone in their family or a friend who is unwell, disabled, or has a mental health problem or an addiction. In every class there could be as many as two students who are helping to support someone because of one of these factors – we call these students young carers.
Students can be young carers for many reasons:
- They might be providing physical support to a parent with a physical illness such as fibromyalgia or ME – maybe cooking, fetching things or helping to put shoes on or doing the shopping
- They might be helping a parent with a disability who needs assistance with more personal tasks such as getting dressed, bathing or changing dressings
- Or they could be providing emotional support – like being there if their autistic sibling is upset, taking responsibility for young siblings whilst parents attend health appointments, or checking that a parent with depression/anxiety is ok.
Some young carers might be doing lots of caring, others just a small amount, All are likely to be impacted by the situation at home including worrying about the person they care for, or needing to do more things for themselves compared to other students.
Who to contact
If you think that any of the above applies to your child, and that they might be a young carer then please do let us know. Even if you feel your child or family are doing really well and do not need any support currently, it is better for us to be aware and have them on our radar as potential young carers in case the situation suddenly changes and they (or you) do need support. You and your child will not then need to start from scratch with information if a situation does become more difficult.
All discussions will be treated confidentially; please do contact your child’s tutor, Head of Year or Mrs Landeg (Equity Lead) to discuss this further.
For ease, here is a link where you can refer for child to us for Young Carer support Identifying Young Carers at KLB – Fill in form. By completing this, you will flag your child as being a young carer, enabling us to find out more about their situation and putting support in place at school.
Support available in school
Once a child is identified as a young carer, we commit to the following in order to help them manage in school and enjoy their learning.
- Regular check in with a key member of staff
- Identified on our system so teaching staff are aware; this enables staff to be mindful in terms of expectations and understanding when setting homework
- Provision of time in school to complete homework supported by members of staff
- Provision of opportunities to meet other young carers in a supportive environment to share experiences and or develop friendships with other children who have similar responsibilities and can empathise.
Key staff
- Chloe Landeg Young Carers School Operation Lead
- Fran Bailey Young Carers School Strategic Lead
Further support
There is plenty of support available for young carers and their families should they ever need it – both inside and outside of school.
For families in South Glos you may wish to look at https://www.carersbsg.org.uk/young-carers/overview
For families in Gloucestershire you may wish to look at https://www.glosyoungcarers.org.uk
Additional support can be found via the following charities who specifically work with young carers: