At Denver VC Primary we are committed to ensuring that all pupils get the support they need to have a positive school experience, are happy in school and can achieve their full potential.

Our Young Carers Champion is Mrs Lorraine Wright.

Our Young Carers SLT Lead is Mrs Louise Jones.

We know that for some pupils, factors outside of school can have a big impact on this, particularly if there is someone in their family or a friend who is ill, disabled, or has a mental health problem or an addiction. We think in every class there could be as many as 2 pupils who are helping to support someone because of one of these factors – we call these pupils young carers.

Pupils can be young carers for lots of different reasons:

• They might be providing physical support to a parent with a physical illness such as fibromyalgia or ME, such as cooking, fetching things or helping with things like putting shoes on or doing the shopping
• They might be helping a parent with a disability who needs help with more personal tasks such as getting dressed, bathing or changing dressings
• Or it could be more 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 but are impacted by the situation at home for example by worrying about the person with the health condition, or needing to do more things for themselves compared to other students.

Too often their role is not known, and this means the impact of their caring role is not understood, and they do not have the essential support they need.

However, there is lots of support available for young carers and their families should they ever need it – both inside and outside of school.

Young Carers Group

Mrs Wright runs a monthly group for our young carers in school.

Here is a summary of the group's first session by Mrs Wright:

The Young Carers in school had their first official meeting just before Easter. We were lucky to have been awarded a grant from Norfolk County Council to help us buy resources and fund these sessions.

We ordered a selection of new games for the event but unfortunately these did not arrive in time, so Mrs Wright set up an obstacle course in the hall which went down a treat. The children also took part in making their own chocolate nest cake (including a chick) to take home for Easter.

Feedback from the children after the session was all positive and are all looking forward to their next session.

" I loved making the cake and it tasted lovely."

"It was nice spending time with my brother and sister in school."

"My favourite bit was going on the spinning chair and going dizzy."

"I liked the trampoline and tunnel best."

Young Carers Award

In school, we are working hard to achieve the Young Carers in Schools award this academic year.

Support for Young Carers

Carers Matters Norfolk is a good source of information and advice Young Carers and Families Support Norfolk | Carers Matter (youngcarersmatternorfolk.org)

Useful information can also be found at: Young carers | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk)

The NHS website has information about the rights of young carers: Being a young carer: your rights - Social care and support guide - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

The Carers Trust also has valuable information on its website: About Us - Caring as a Young Carer (carers.org)

The Swan Youth Project offers a lot of support for young carers. Here is a poster highlighting what they offer.

What to do if you think your child is a Young Carer

If you think that any of the above apply to your child, and that they might possibly be a young carer, please contact Mrs Jones or Mrs Wright to discuss how we can support them. Even if you feel your child or family are doing really well and don’t need any support, we find that it’s 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. It just means that you and your child don’t have to start from scratch with letting us know what is going on if things have become difficult.