Viva Brighton Issue #85 March 2020

BITS AND BOX
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CHARITY BOX #47:
YOUNG CARERS PROJECT
We define a young
carer as any child
between the age of six
and 17 who is affected
by the health condition
of a loved one.
The traditional idea is
of a child taking on the
chores that the disabled
person within the family
can’t manage – and that’s true in many cases. But
it can also mean a child who has a parent with a
disability and doesn’t get to access as many outof-school
activities as other children. Or a young
person who is being bullied because their peers
discover they have a disabled family member. Or
a sibling carer who perhaps feels embarrassed
about having friends over or is frustrated that
the family’s focus is on the disabled child.
Last year we supported 320 young carers
in Brighton and Hove, but we believe there
are a lot more than that out there. Data from
the last census suggested the figure was nearer
to 2,000 – and that was nine years ago. But it
can be challenging to identify them. We have a
schools worker who does assemblies and PSHE
lessons to highlight how we define a young
carer and what to look out for. We also do
awareness-raising events including Young Carers
Awareness Day.
Quite often when we do home visits, we’re
the first people to have put a name on what
these children are doing – to have called
them carers. Many of them just take it as part
of everyday life so they don’t know there’s
support out there for them. Sometimes families
are defensive about admitting their child is
caring for someone, or
children worry that they
could get their parents
in trouble with social
services – all fears we
try to alleviate when we
first get in contact.
All carers need support
but particularly
those who are young.
At an early age they may not entirely understand
what their parent or sibling’s health needs are
and why they might act the way they do. Then
there’s the balancing of social life and caring –
helping them to make time for their own needs.
As they get older, there’s the question of what’s
going to happen to them in the future – can they
become independent, can they go to university
or are they bound by their caring role?
We offer one-to-one emotional support to
help young carers through these sort of transitions,
helping them to think broadly about the
future and to realise their potential. The second
strand of our work is advocacy – making sure
the right people in schools, social care and other
services know about a family’s needs. We also
offer activities, including a Wednesday drop-in,
and art workshops, outings and the occasional
residential respite in school holidays. We’re
lucky to be quite secure in our core funding but
we really welcome support for the activities we
run. There are donation points in both of the
Seven Dials Co-ops, and we’re always on the
look-out for sponsors and people who might like
to do some fundraising for us.
As told to Nione Meakin by CEO Tom Lambert
carershub.co.uk
Young carer Harmony (left) and her sister Skyla
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