Young Carers Champion Initiative for Schools

Young Carers Action Day is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness for young and young adult carers. This year’s theme, "Give Me A Break," highlights the need for support. Read about how The Junction, and educational settings across South Tees, are working together to give young carers the break they deserve.

The Junction is a charity that provides a wide range of support to young carers, families and young adult carers across South Tees. They offer essential information, advice and support to children and young people under 18 who care for adults or siblings. They also support young adult carers up to the age of 25.

What is a young carer?

A young carer is someone aged under 18 who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support.

Data shows that there is a staggering number of young carers in England, starting as young as five years old. Estimates vary but the 2021 ONS census reported around 120,000 young carers aged 5-18 in England. And a 2018 BBC survey found that there were as many as 820,000 young carers aged 11-15. Many believe these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as only a small number of young carers are identified. Some estimates suggest that one in five school children could have caring responsibilities, with this number rising during the COVID-19 pandemic (as noted on the Carers Trust website).

Evidence shows that young carers often face significant challenges, including lower educational attainment compared to their peers. To address this The Junction has created the ‘Young Carers Champion’ initiative designed specifically for schools to help support these children and give them the best life chances.

What is a Young Carers Champion?

The Junction Schools Champion initiative

A Young Carers Champion advocates for and empowers young carers in education settings by:

Raising awareness of their needs and challenges,
Ensuring access to relevant resources and support services, and
Fostering an environment where young carers feel valued, supported, and able to thrive.

This role is crucial in promoting understanding, reducing stigma, and helping young carers reach their full potential.

Champions are encouraged to works towards the Young Carers in Schools Award which underpins The Junctions approach and enables to school to be recognised by national leading charities, Carers Trust and Children’s Society.

We caught up with Helen Jenkinson, Safeguarding Officer at Macmillan Academy who joined The Junction’s Young Carer’s (YC) Champion scheme 18 months ago. Helen believes passionately in giving young carers the best opportunities to reach their full potential despite the challenges they face.

Helen, what made you get involved with the initiative?

“We wanted to identify all our vulnerable groups of students and started to look at those children who are ‘unseen’. They might not have obvious vulnerabilities but are struggling for other reasons. And one of those groups was young carers. I already had experience of working with young carers in a previous role so it’s something I was aware of and passionate about.
“The Junction’s YC Champion initiative gives us a really good framework for supporting our young carers. We’ve had great support from them. Simone Shaw is the Schools Development Worker at the at the Junction and she’s very responsive. She listens to us and is open to discussion and dialogue about things as she realises that every school is unique so she works really hard to adapt to our school’s specific needs."

Can you give me some examples of things you’ve done to support young carers at Macmillan Academy?

"We are still in the process of identifying young carers at the school, but once we have we refer them to the Junction for support, but there is no pressure for them to sign up for anything. A helpful resource in school has been the sticker system. It allows young carers to have a sticker in their planner so they don’t have to constantly explain their situation to teachers. We use the ones provided by the Junction but have also created our own stickers to cater to the unique needs of each student. Each young carer’s situation impacts them differently, and we want to meet those needs."

How has the forum helped you? (a fortnightly drop in sessions where Champions can meet to discuss things).

“It was very useful for transition as we were able to talk to feeder primary schools and get their input. Based on that we then did some extended transitions with young carers."

What would you say to other schools thinking of getting involved?

"It’s absolutely worthwhile. There’s no pressure, and schools can implement things at their own pace. People shouldn’t be concerned about taking on another commitment. There is a national award that schools can go for, but you’re not pushed to do this as long as you're supporting your young carers – that’s the main focus. Simone is knowledgeable about available funding and holiday sessions for young carers, which schools might not always be aware of. It's important to ensure children are supported even when they’re not in school. You need to be informed to make the most of these opportunities."

What are the barriers to supporting young carers in schools?

"Resources. Supporting young carers takes time and effort from existing staff. But it’s definitely worth it. The Junction is very understanding of this and is mindful of the resources schools have."

Growing the Champions Network

Simone Shaw is the Young Carers Development Worker at The Junction. Simone has led this initiative from conception and has seen it progress over the last few years. Simone shares her thoughts:

“Since the forum's introduction, engagement among Champions has been steadily increasing, which is fantastic to see, as it directly enhances the school experience for young carers. We have a dedicated core group of Champions doing incredible work to identify ‘hidden’ young carers and improve the support available in their schools and colleges.
The forum provides Champions with valuable support in several ways: sharing ideas and best practices, receiving updates on our services and local resources, gaining guidance in their role, and learning about the Young Carer in Schools Awards (YCiS). Together, we collaborate to find solutions and ensure smooth transitions for young carers from primary to secondary school, college, and beyond!
We recently introduced a fortnightly YCiS Drop-in for any schools wanting to work towards the award. This provides Champions with more specific tailored support and guidance to work through step-by-step.
We are thrilled that we now have 63 Young Carers Champions across the South Tees area and are excited to see the work continue to grow and develop with more Champions joining.”

For more information on how your school can get involved, email the Young Carers Development Worker, Simone Shaw : simone.shaw@thejunctionfoundation.com

For further information about the Young Carers in Schools Award: https://youngcarersinschools.com/what-is-the-award/

The Young Carers in Schools - a free initiative that makes it as easy as possible for schools to support young carers. aims to provide schools with the tools and resources to support young carers and reduce negative impacts, ensuring they have the same access to education and future life chances as their peers.