Young Carers – St Paul’s CofE Primary School

Award for Excellence in Supporting Young Carers

We are proud to have received the Young Carers in Schools Award, a recognition of our dedicated efforts to provide the highest level of support to young carers. This award reflects our commitment to creating an inclusive, caring environment for all of our pupils, particularly those who have the added responsibility of caring for family members.

This achievement highlights the hard work of our staff and the partnerships we have built within our community to ensure young carers are given the best possible opportunity to thrive at school. If you think your child may be a young carer or you would like to find out who young carers are please scroll below to find out more information.

Who are Young Carers?

A young carer is anyone under the age of 18 who looks after a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled, or has mental health or addiction issues. These young individuals take on responsibilities such as practical care and emotional support, that are typically expected of adults.

Research shows that there are at least 700,000 young carers in the UK, but many of them do not even realise that they are providing care. The challenges young carers face can affect their well-being, including their education, social life, and overall mental health.

Young carers may support with:

Cooking
Cleaning
Shopping
Preparing medicine
Looking after siblings
Managing money
Providing personal care
Providing emotional support

Whether it’s to just sit and listen, talk and share, do arts and crafts or play games, we’re here! If you think your child may be a Young Carer please contact Ms Batchelor at office@stpauls.southwark.sch.uk

Did you know that here at St Paul’s we offer a Young Carers support group on Tuesday?

The group is run by our Young Carers Champion, Ms Batchelor and out Young Carers Operational Lead Ms Julia and is open to all known Young Carers that are caring for a family member with; a long-term illness, disability, poor mental health or substance misuse issue. Whether it’s to just sit and listen, talk and share, do arts and crafts or play games, we’re here!

Do you think your child may be a Young Carer? Please contact Ms Batchelor at office@stpauls.southwark.sch.uk

Support available at St Paul’s C of E Primary School

At St Paul’s C of E Primary School, we believe that every young carer deserves recognition and support. We are committed to ensuring that all young carers at our school are identified and receive the assistance they need to thrive in both their schoolwork and personal lives. We understand that young carers may face unique challenges, and we offer tailored support to help them succeed in their studies and feel supported in their emotional and social lives.

How We Support Young Carers

Identifying Young Carers: We take care to identify young carers in our school community so they can receive the appropriate help and support.
Dedicated Staff Support: Our staff are trained to offer emotional support and understand the specific needs of young carers. We also work closely with families to ensure that the home situation is taken into account.
Mentoring sessions: Pupils can speak to our designated Young Carers Mentor, Ms Okyere or our Young Carers Champion Ms Batchelor. Children, if they choose, are able to speak to our designated member of staff if there is anything that may be worrying them or they are struggling with. Our members of staff will always make time to listen to children’s concerns and offer support.
Flexible Schoolwork Arrangements: We understand that young carers may need to balance schoolwork with caring duties. We offer flexible homework deadlines and provide additional resources to help them stay on track.
Homework club: Eligible pupils can join our homework club that will run every week on Friday from 3:30 – 4:30pm. This club is designed to help pupils with homework tasks and allow for support from a teacher if needed. Children that are young carers often may not have the opportunity to complete homework at home due to other responsibilities, therefore attending our homework club can be a great way for children to focus on their education away from distractions.
Worry box: At St Paul’s C of E Primary school, we provide a safe and confidential environment for pupils to submit worry slips. The worry box is designed to ensure that children feel supported and can contact us regarding a worry or concern at any given moment. Pupils should place the completed slip in the “Worry box” located in the library. Slips are given to all classroom so they can be easily accessible to the children. This box is checked regularly and children will be contacted by one of our mentors to give them the opportunity to share their concerns with us.

External support available:

Collaborating with Southwark IMAGO Young Carers:
We are also fortunate to work closely with IMAGO Young Carers, an organisation that supports young people who care for family members in Southwark. Through this collaboration, we ensure that our young carers have access to additional resources, funded trips and days out, as well as community support. Imago Young Carers provides invaluable guidance, and together, we offer a network of support that is crucial to the well-being and success of our young carers.

Young Adult Carers

Southwark young carers:
Southwark Young Carers is the borough-wide service for Young Carers in Southwark, provided by Imago Community. Young Carers are anyone aged 8-18 who are taking on caring responsibilities for a family with a long-term illness, disability, mental health, or substance misuse issue.

https://selmind.org.uk/directory/southwark-young-carers/

Creation Trust – Young Carers Project:
Creation Trust has recently secured one years funding to deliver interventions, support and respite for up to fifteen young carers aged 10-16 who live on and around the Aylesbury and Rockingham estates in Southwark. The project will provide three hours of activities over forty-eight weeks.

https://www.southwarkcarers.org.uk/creation-trust-young-carers-project/

IntoUniversity centres:
Offer a welcoming home-from-home for young people: a safe space to learn, explore and succeed. Each local centre offers an innovative programme that supports young people aged seven and up to realise their ambitions, achieve their academic potential, develop vital skills and gain experience of the world of work.

https://intouniversity.org/what-we-do/