Young Carers Awareness Training

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    Carers Hub

    Young Carers Awareness Training

    created for school & college staff by

    Use the Next button to continue.

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    About this training

    What to expect

    This training will qualify you to be registered with us as a Young Carer Champion (not compulsory).

    This provides a first point of contact in your school or college for young carers.

    How to complete this training

    Scroll through the following webpages and watch the videos to find out what life is like for young carers and how your school or college can support pupils with a caring role.

    There will also be some questions to answer as you progress though. You will be prompted when you have answered all correctly and you will be able to continue to the next page

    Become a Young Carer Champion

    Get the badge

    If you wish to become a Young Carer Champion, there are two paths to choose from

    1. You have undertaken face to face training with us.
    2. You are completing this online training.

    Both will confirm you as a Carer Champion and you will receive a badge, lanyard and Carer Champion Certificate.

    Please note that we only provide support and resources to Brighton and Hove based Carer Champions. If you are based outside the city, please click the “No” button on the next page. You can still download a certificate of completion at the end of the module.

    Get training

    You don’t need to become a Young Carer Champion – you can complete the training out of interest or to have greater understanding for your school or college but not be registered as a champion.

    At the end of this training you will be able to download a certificate of completion.

    Get support

    After becoming a champion, we will be in contact to update you and share with you details of awareness raising events and ways your school or college can support young carers.

    Consent

    Thank you for taking time to find out more about young carers.

    By entering the following details you consent to us holding data and contacting you about the completion and follow up of this training.

    Our privacy policy https://www.thecarerscentre.org/privacy-policy/

    Register

    skipcompleting for personal interestwith an organisation, club or group
    skipNoYes, please send me a badge and lanyard

    Think carer…

    The Carers Centre is the lead partner within the Carers Hub working in partnership with

    • The Alzheimer’s Society
    • Crossroads Care
    • Brighton and Hove Carers Assessment Workers.

    Welcome

    Please watch the following short video

    Welcome video by Tom (1:36)

    Welcome

    Welcome to this free Carer Awareness training session. It is expected that it will take between 45 and 60 minutes to complete.

    Why do this course?

    You may be taking this course out of general interest around caring.

    Maybe you are a carer wanting to know a little more about us and what caring means.

    Possibly you are a representative of a group, organisation, or community, with an interest in becoming a Carer Champion and being able to recognise when someone may have a care role, answer initial questions and know how to signpost to help and support.

    Carer Champion

    By taking this training session and answering the questions that will be asked, you are completing our Carer Champion training and will qualify for a badge and certificate if you wish.

    We also have specific training for employers, primary healthcare staff and people in education though you will not need to complete these if you have already done this training. Speak to us directly about specific support or go directly to the relevant training session on our website instead of completing this session.

    Who we are

    The Carers Centre is a charity formed in 1988 to support the needs of unpaid family/friend carers in Brighton and Hove.

    Since 2018 we have also been the lead partner of a project funded by Brighton and Hove City Council, called the Carers Hub, which provides a single point of contact for carers in the city.

    The Hub comprises four organisations. The Carers Centre, Alzheimer’s Society – helping people with dementia, Crossroads Care, providing short term respite solutions and Brighton and Hove City Council Carer Assessment Workers.

    You are now about to start the first section where we will look at what being a carer means.

    I hope you enjoy the session and wish you all the very best.

    Training overview

    By the end of this training you will:

    • Be aware of what the Young Carers Project does to support young people
    • Know who young carers are and what they do
    • Have an understanding of the challenges young carers face
    • Know what surveys tell us about young carers in Brighton & Hove, and more broadly about the on-going impact of Covid-19
    • Consider how to support young carers at your school/college
    • Know how to make a referral to the Young Carers Project

    Our objectives

    Click on each shape to find out more.

    IDENTIFY

    Identify and raise awareness of young carers

    REDUCE

    Reduce the impact of the caring role

    Our objectives

    At the Young Carers Project we work with young people aged 6-17 who live in the city of Brighton & Hove.
    We also have targeted support for young adult carers aged 18-25 through the Carers Hub. We aim to…

    RESPITE

    Provide opportunities to have fun and meet others

    SUPPORT

    Give emotional support and advocacy

    Who are Young Carers?

    Who are Young Carers?

    Young Carers are young people under the age of 18 who:

    • help to look after a family member with a long term health condition, disability, or substance misuse issue;
    • take on caring responsibilities including tasks typically carried out by an adult or considered inappropriate for their age;
    • are impacted by the family member’s condition- own daily activities or support available to them are affected.

    This is usually a parent or sibling but can be any family member who the young carer may or may not live with but who they see on a regular/daily basis.

    Young Adult Carers (YACs) refers to young people with a caring role between the ages of 18 and 25.

    What do Young Carers do?

    A Young Carer may support a family member with any of the following:

    Practical care – Domestic chores, going to the shops, managing money, looking after siblings, locking up the house, communicating

    Physical care – Lifting, pushing a wheelchair, helping with stairs, exercises or using equipment

    Medical care – Administering medication or injections, organising/attending appointments

    Personal/intimate care – Washing, dressing, feeding, toileting

    Emotional care – Listening to/supporting the cared for person, comforting or being present.

    What do we mean by …?

    Please watch the following short video.

    Video Lizzie (2:31)

    What do we mean by ‘Young Carer’ or ‘Young Adult Carer’?

    A Young Carer is a young person under the age of 18 caring for someone in their family while a Young Adult Carer usually refers to someone age 18-25. They may be supporting a family member for various reasons, including someone with a long-term health condition, disability or substance misuse issue. This is usually someone who the young person lives with such as their parent or sibling but can include other family members they see regularly.

    How might a Young Carer help out?

    Young Carers can provide support in different ways, for example they might carry out practical or physical tasks, or support with medical or personal care. Many young carers are also providing emotional support, for example to family members with a mental health condition. This type of care goes unseen by others but provides much needed support to the family member. Often young people are not even aware that what they are doing is considered caring.

    How does this affect a Young Carer?

    Depending on the level of support a young person provides, their caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on their health, education or social life. For example, inappropriate levels of care can impact on a young person’s own emotional or physical well-being. They may feel tired from getting up in the night to support their sibling or be anxious or fearful about their parent’s health. Looking after someone can also impact on a young person’s social life or educational achievement as they may have less time to spend with friends, or to do homework.

    What support is available?

    The Young Carers Project supports young people living in Brighton and Hove aged 6-17 to access the help they need to manage their caring role and its impact. The Carers Hub also supports Young Adult Carers up to the age of 25. We offer 1:1 emotional support so young people can have someone to talk to about their caring role and better understand their family member’s condition or disability. We advocate on the young carer’s behalf with other professionals to ensure they get the right support and to limit the impact of the caring role.  Young carers can meet others in a similar situation at our activities which run after school and in the holidays, giving them much needed respite time and the chance to relax and have fun together.

    Carers Quiz

    1. For which of the following reasons might a young carer be looking after a family member?

    Tick all that apply.
    Yes, all of these are possible reasons.
    No, young carers often help look after siblings but are only considered to be young carers if a family member has a health condition, disability or substance misuse issue.

    2. How may a young carer support their family member?

    Tick all that apply.
    That right, these are things a young carer might do.

    3. In which way may a caring role impact on a young person's life?

    Tick all that apply.
    Yes, these are all potential impacts of a caring role.

    4. What type of support does the Young Carers Project provide young people?

    Tick all that apply.
    Correct, these are all types of support provided by the Young Carers Project.
    The Young Carers Project does not provide direct financial support to young carers although we can help young carers to access individual grants.

    Day in the life of a Young Carer

    Whilst watching the video consider the many ways caring can impact on a young person’s daily life.

    Credit: The Children’s Society (3:08)

    How old are you?

    15 years old.

    How long have you been caring for your mum?

    I’ve been caring since I was seven, so eight years now.

    You were telling me about some of the chores you have to do at your own house and it’s a much bigger list than I had when I was 15. What kind of things does that involve?

    Like weekly it’s mainly just cleaning the surfaces and sweeping the floor, sometimes doing laundry and sometimes also folding clothes. Cleaning cabinets, cleaning the microwave.

    What kind of things do you have to do like you personally day to day to help your mum?

    Ask her how she’s feeling and if she’s not feeling well then I’d help her take her bags up and bring her food to her room instead of her coming down here.

    Do you feel like as a young carer aside from like education, do you feel like you miss out on anything?

    I’d be less likely to be allowed to go out probably every week or every other week than other kids. So say if I wanted to go out shopping or something, I wouldn’t be able to do that.

    What’s the hardest part of being a young carer?

    Having patience when the person you’re caring for is not happy or something, sometimes. Or like when I was younger I never knew that my mom was rushed to hospital, so the days that she told me ever since then I’ve just been scared. Like say if I got a call from school saying, “Oh your mom’s passed away,” or something, then I’ll just be scared during school or I’ll just want to be with her.

    Do you think if you had like some kind of support network at school or school knew more about it, were more involved, that things would be easier for you?

    Yeah, I think so because then they’ll understand why I find it sometimes hard to study. And also there is a woman that you can talk to, but they expect you to go to her and I’m not really one to talk about my feelings a lot. So I think adults should come to us if they’re like a mentor in the school or someone that is easy to talk to.

    Do you think there should be more support for young carers in the UK?

    Yeah, because I went to the camp I think two years ago and there was someone that cared for his brother and he was blind. I think that would take a lot of perseverance and patience so I think he would need a lot of support and other people as well.

    Is there anything positive about being a young carer?

    Yeah, I get to spend more time with my mum and I enjoy our company a lot as well.

    Impact on Young Carer

    Click on each shape to find out more.

    Social

    Lack of spare time

    Feeling different

    Embarrassed

    Bullied

    Isolated

    Emotional

    Fear/Guilt

    Protective

    Anger/ Resentment

    Uncertainty

    Stress/Anxiety

    Impact on a Young Carer

    Caring can affect a young person in many different ways…

    Physical

    Poor diet

    Aches and strains

    Self harm

    Lack of or disrupted sleep

    Exhaustion

    Educational

    Poor concentration

    Homework

    Late

    Absent

    Local concerns

    8% of primary pupils, 6% of secondary pupils and 4% of further education students in Brighton and Hove identify as a Young Carer.*

    That’s up to 3 pupils in every class, although not everyone discloses their caring role, so Carers Trust research estimates 1 in 5 young people could be a young carer.

    Compared to other pupils Young Carers are:

    • Twice as likely to strongly agree they often feel sad (KS2)
    • Twice as likely to be bullied (KS2, KS3 & KS4)
    • More likely to engage in risk taking behaviours and self harm (KS3, KS4 & FE)

    * Safe and Well at School Survey, Public Health Schools Team, 2021

    On-going impact of Covid-19

    During the pandemic more young people took on caring roles and there was also an increase in caring responsibilities for existing young carers. Young carers were also much more isolated at home. This has had a great impact on their wellbeing and health.

    Since the start of the pandemic, young carers say…

    • Their mental health is worse
    • Their education has suffered
    • They are more worried about the future
    • They are feeling more stressed 
    • They are feeling less connected to others and less able to stay in touch with friends
    • They would like more support with their education and their mental health

    (Carers Trust research 2020)

    Potential indicators of a caring role

    • Wellbeing and behaviour- anxious, easily irritable or frustrated, tired, withdrawn, low mood, isolated
    • Avoids/becomes anxious about discussing home life or family, or about not being at home
    • Asks that conversations about family remain secret, not to be discussed with parents
    • Avoidance/lack of engagement from family with school or other agencies
    • Avoids/unable to join in extra curricular activities
    • Underachieving/struggling academically or with homework
    • Persistent or unexplained absence or lateness
    • Friendship difficulties
    • Plus a family member with a health condition, disability or substance misuse issue (which could be less visible/hidden)

    One or many of these indicators does not necessarily mean they are a young carer but a conversation with the parents/young person could be useful…

    Barriers to identification

    Many do not identify with the phrase… “Are you a carer?”

    Click on each speech bubble to see some better approaches.

    ???

    I’ve noticed… (indicators of caring), how are things at home for you?

    ???

    Does anyone you live with need extra support?

    ???

    Do you look after your sister?

    ???

    Do you help look after someone at home?

    Carers Quiz 2

    1. According to Carers Trust research how many young people could be young carers?

    01 in 31 in 51 in 10
    That's not right, try again.
    That right, according to research, 20% of young people could be carers.

    2. Alongside having a family member with a long-term health condition, disability or substance misuse issue, what are some of the potential indicators that a young person may have a caring role?

    Tick all that apply.
    That right, all of these are possible indicators.

    3.What questions could you ask to sensitively find out if a young person has a caring role?

    Tick all that apply.
    Many young people don't identify as a young carer. Is there another way you ask this?
    A little general. How else could you find out what may be wrong?
    That right, these are all good questions.

    Case study: Jo

    Have a look at the following case study and consider…

    • What evidence is there that Jo is a Young Carer?
    • How could your school/college support them as a Young Carer?

    Then click the Show Notes button at the bottom to find out more.

    Jo is 15 years old and lives with her dad, dad’s girlfriend and her younger sister for half the week, then she and her sister live with their mum for the rest of the time.

    Her mum has been through a difficult few years and has recently been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder.

    Jo reminds her mum to take her medication and helps with her younger sister.

    Jo’s teacher has noticed that she is often distracted and emotionally withdrawn at certain times of the week and checks her phone a lot during class; this is impacting on her schoolwork and her homework is also being affected.

    One evening a week Jo goes to the local youth centre, but lately her attendance has been erratic.

    The referral to the Young Carers Project came from a support worker at the youth centre who reported that when Jo does attend, she exhibits hyper vigilance and parenting of the younger children.

    She also seems less keen to spend time with those her own age.

    Show Notes

    Ideas to support Young Carers at school or college

    • Offer the young person time and space to talk
    • Allow them to call home or have access to their phone at certain times in the day
    • Flexibility with homework or deadlines
    • Consider accessibility issues when parents need to meet with teachers
    • Provide opportunities to do homework in school, offer clubs at lunchtime
    • Set up a peer support group
    • Promote positive images of living with disability, and physical and mental health conditions around your school/college

    Referral Process to the Young Carers Project

    Click on each step to find out more.

    Step 1: Unsure whether a pupil is a Young Carer?

    Unsure whether a pupil is a Young Carer? Follow the school’s internal process regarding the identification of a vulnerable pupil (e.g. talk to the SENCO and/or Student Welfare).

    Step 2: Think they are a Young Carer?

    Think they are a Young Carer? Pass the information onto your school’s key contact for young carers to discuss/make the referral.

    Step 3: Seek permission

    Seek permission from the young person and their family about making a referral before continuing.

    Step 4: Complete the referral

    Key person completes the referral with the young person, including their direct experience wherever possible.

    Step 5: Send form to the Carers Hub

    Send one form direct to the Carers Hub website.
    For students aged 18+ referrals for young adult carers support are also via the Carers Hub website, this can be completed by a professional or the young person themselves

    Step 6: Begin support

    YCP receives and considers the referral. The Young Carer is allocated a case worker who will contact the family to invite the young person to the project and begin support.

    Step 7: Consider extra support

    The Young Carers Keyworker at the council considers if extra support could be helpful for the whole family through the Family Hubs alongside the YPC.

    Carers Quiz 3

    1. What do you think your school or college should do better to support young carers, or is already doing?

    Tick all that apply.
    Correct, these are all actions that support young carers.
    Young carers are less likely to self-identify so a sensitive approach from a staff member that the young person trusts can be helpful.

    2. If you think a young person is a young carer, what are the next steps?

    Tick all that apply.
    Correct, these are good next steps.
    Ttry taking a proactive approach and find out more about a young person's caring role

    What’s next?

    After this training you may wish to consider the following:

    • What can your school/college put in place to support existing young carers?
    • Do staff know who current young carers are (if appropriate)?
    • What can you do to identify new young carers?
    • Do staff know who your school/college’s key contact for young carers is? This person will likely lead on referrals to the Young Carers Project. Do pupils know who they can speak to?
    • How will you communicate your support for young carers to other staff, pupils and parents?

    Stay informed

    Carers News

    For our quarterly newsletter Carers News and updates of useful information, subscribe to our mailing list.

    Tick here:

    Get in touch

    Our Contact Details

    Carers Hub

    For Young Adult Carers age 18+

    01273 977000

    info@carershub.co.uk

    Make a self referral

    Make a professional referral

    Young Carers Project

    For Young Carers age 6-17

    01273 746222

    youngcarersproject@thecarerscentre.org

    Make a professionals young carer referral

    Open these contact details and links to resources in a new window that you can bookmark.

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