Introduction
Young carers are children and young people, aged 5 – 24 years, who provide regular and ongoing care to a family member who has a long-term illness, disability, mental health issue or misuses substances. The family member may be a parent, sibling or grandparent living with them.
Caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on young people and can affect their physical and mental health, education and social opportunities. Carers Trust Hillingdon has been supporting young carers since 2001.
We aim to mitigate the impact of caring on young people through the provision of emotional support, school liaison, information and advice and regular social activities. We also work in partnership with local organisations and schools to identify young carers and raise awareness of their needs.
Support for Young Carers
The young carers service supports children and young people, aged 5 to 25 years old, who live in Hillingdon and have a caring responsibility at home. This could be helping to look after a parent, sibling or any other family member who is physically or mentally ill, disabled or misuses substances.
Our aim:
Our fun and friendly service aims to reduce the impact of caring on young people through the provision of:
Weekly youth clubs
Extensive school holiday activity programmes
Weekends away
Workshops
1:1 support with a trusted adult
Whole family support
School liaison
Supported Transition
Supported Transition is a specialist service for young adult carers aged 16 – 24 with age appropriate support for young people moving from school to whatever comes next.
The transition from school to further education, apprenticeships or employment can often be very challenging.
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Our aim:
We aim to support young carers through this testing stage with the provision of:
1:1 support
A programme of workshops on topics such as: CV writing, money management, interview skills, first aid and mental wellbeing
Opportunities to meet with potential employers and/or attend college and university open days
Social activities
Weekends away
Support groups
Fitness programmes
Family Support Service
Our family support service is a specialist project working with families who are in need of extra support at times of difficulty or crisis.
We are able to provide 3 – 6 months of intensive support tailored to the individual needs of each family.
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Our aim:
We aim to deal with the most pressing problems a family is facing and can provide:
Housing advice and liaison with local housing services
Education and training support
Access to extra-curricular activities
Benefits and debt management advice
Liaison with schools, colleges, universities and places of work
1:1 sessions and support planning with young / young-adult carers
Emotional and wellbeing support
Family trips
Advocacy/support with accessing services
Working with Schools
The young carers service works in partnership with schools in Hillingdon to help them to identify and support their pupils with caring responsibilities.
The transition from school to further education, apprenticeships or employment can often be very challenging.
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The young carers service works in partnership with schools in Hillingdon to help them to identify and support their pupils with caring responsibilities. We have published and distributed our own ‘School’s guide to young carers’ to every school in Hillingdon and are also able to provide:
Teacher/staff training sessions
PSHE lessons
Awareness raising assembliesSupport/advocacy for parents at school meetings
Support to set up young carer clubs within school
Information and publicity to display
This guide helps schools and colleges create meaningful support systems for pupils who care for others at home. It outlines how to gain national recognition for your efforts and build a whole school approach.
Click the image to download the pack and learn more on starting your journey toward the Young Carers in Schools Award.
