Whole school approach to young carers in schools

Schools and settings play a vital role in supporting young carers' wellbeing and reducing barriers to their educational attainment. Achieving the Carer Friendly Tick Award for your school or setting means that you can embed a whole school / setting approach to supporting young carers.

A whole school / setting approach to young carers can:

• Reduce stigma
  • Create a positive environment where all children and young people (CYP), including young carers and their families feel comfortable, safe and valued and where differences are celebrated and stigma is reduced.
  • Take opportunities for awareness raising among staff and other CYP of the issues that young carers may face. Awareness raising sessions can be booked through Caring Together (see Staff CPD section below) and you can find some top tips in Step 7 and Step 8 of the Carers Trust Young Carers in Schools guide.
  • Display positive images and information about disability, illness and young carers in the environment.
  • Celebrate young carers for the fantastic care they provide. Whether they're cooking, cleaning, shopping for food or administering medication, they are often a lifeline to loved ones at home and this should be recognised! In 2020, Carers Matter 'Heroes at Home' campaign recognised the fantastic work being done by young carers across Norfolk and some of the display resources linked to this campaign could still be utilised.

  Top tip! Increasing conversations around topics such as mental health, addiction and disability, alongside providing support in school for young carers will increase the chances of young carers coming forward for support.

• Increase identification and self-identification
  • Support young carers and their families to feel safe to identify their situation and provide a discrete way in which they can do this.
  • Ensure staff are provided with the information they need to identify young carers. The sooner young carers are recognised, the easier it is to prevent them from taking on inappropriate levels of care and education staff can play a key role in this identification process.
  • Create a culture and ethos where CYP feel they can share worries with adults.
  • You can find best practice on how to take a proactive approach to identifying young carers on page 5 of the Young carers school policy checklist.

  Top tip! Awareness-raising activities with CYP can also help increase self-identification and identification of young carers by their friends.

• Address needs in a holistic way
  • Consult and listen to young carers, ensuring they have time and space to talk.
  • Assign a member of staff as your 'Young Carers Champion' who leads and champions provision for young carers:
    • Some schools and settings have more than one champion, just in case of absence and to help ensure support is still available as the number of young carers identified inevitably increases. Some schools and settings have an operational champion and a senior leader champion - one providing the main support to the young carers, and the other ensuring that systems and processes are in place, and that data is being reviewed at a senior level.
    • If your champion is not in a position to make strategic decisions, then they need to have a way to escalate things to your senior leadership team (SLT).
    • Ensure young carers know how and when they can contact their champion.

    Young Carers Challenge Caring Together, Norfolk County Council and Young Carers Matter Norfolk, with the support of organisations across the county, have set a challenge to make sure every young carer in Norfolk has someone they can talk to in school and knows what support is available to help them.

  • Plan appropriate support for young carers and their families.
  • Embed support for young carers into existing systems - monitoring and tracking their attendance, attainment and wellbeing in the same way as other vulnerable CYP groups.
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance states that "all school and college staff should be alert to the potential need of early help for a child who ... is a young carer". Additionally, the guidance states that schools should be "alert to the specific needs of children in need, those with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), those with relevant health conditions and young carers".

Achieving the Carer Friendly Tick Award for your school or setting means that you can embed a whole school / setting approach to recognising, championing and supporting young carers with the aim of reducing stigma, increasing identification and addressing needs in a holistic way. If you would like to find out more, go to the Caring Together Charity website or contact Caring Together at carerfriendlytick@caringtogether.org.