Education, employment and training - Young Carers

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Young Carers Education Support Team

The Young Carers Education Support Team (YCEST) is a joint collaboration between three schools and Plymouth City Council that is available to support professionals in a Plymouth school working with young carers.

Why is it needed?

There are currently a very high number of young carers in the city, with many more that are hidden. Young carers are a vulnerable group with incredible pressures. The impact on their own education and welfare can be significant for some. We want Plymouth to be a young carer-friendly and supportive city, with everyone working together to identify and support them in a holistic way.

What can the team offer?

Support and advice via telephone, email or virtual calls
Training around how to identify and support young carers
Facilitation of network meetings for young carers' leads
Facilitate opportunities for young carers to participate in events and projects.
Support during the transition

Schools involved

Montpelier Primary School

At Montpelier Primary School, we have had a Young Carers group since 2019. We have 26 children who have identified themselves as young carers at present. Sarah Green and Jane Gilbert are the group's leads. We now have the bronze award for our work here, and the children designed their own symbol to represent them.

In normal circumstances, we meet on a Monday lunchtime, where the children can bring their lunch and chat with each other. We then have a focus activity such as cooking or games. We also include activities to help understand feelings, emotions, and what a young carer is and how fabulous they are. We give the children and families a copy of the timetable so they always know what will be happening each week.

We have held special coffee afternoons just for parents, and at Christmas and Easter, we held family events where the families were able to attend with younger siblings for seasonal-themed fun afternoons.

We have taken the children on different trips, such as to the donkey sanctuary, a bus trip, and an ice cream treat, and we have been planning the Mayflower 400 sailing trip. Also, we hosted the "story of the Mayflower" by Katy Cawkwell for other schools.

During lock down, we met weekly on-line with our children for a catch-up and appropriate fun games We sent them all a special postcard so they knew we were thinking about them all even when we did not see them and made family calls for quick check-in

We are now meeting each year group bubble of children on a rota of once every three weeks and again are including emotional support activities in a fun way. The children seem to be really enjoying the smaller group support that this offers. We are in contact with all our families via phone calls and questionnaires to make sure we are aware of how things are and any changes that may be happening in the family.

For more information, please email youngcarers@mpsplymouth.net

Laira Green Primary School

My name is Jan Frost, and I am always willing to offer support and advice.

Here at Laira Green, we offer support to young carers throughout their time here.

We have a 'Me Time' club during lunchtime and after school.
There is a suggestion box in the Parent Support Advisors room for ideas from young carers on things that would benefit them.
We have photos of staff members that they can speak to around the school regarding their caring roles and responsibilities.
All staff are updated on who our young carers are so that they are aware of issues regarding homework or lack of reading being completed at home.
We arrange easy transitions for our young carers into secondary school.

For more information, please email lgpyc@lairagreen.plymouth.sch.uk

Notre Dame School

At Notre Dame RC School, we are very proud to hold the Bronze Award for the support we offer to our young carers. We support students by having a designated Young Carers' Lead who focuses on embedding a whole school ethos and approach through our Young Carers' Policy, a system for early identification and referrals, ongoing staff training, and student awareness. In addition, two Learning Support Assistants run a Young Carers Group during lunch times. This gives students the opportunity to get together, discuss issues, find solutions, or participate in craft activities. To enable our young carers to attend this group, the school provides a free lunch from the canteen on club days. Our LSAs also provide one-to-one mentoring where needed, particularly for those students taking GCSE or A-level courses who need support balancing their academic workload with their caring responsibilities. The Young Carers' team has input into the important events in a Young Carer's schooling. For example, if a young carer is also a student with special educational needs, a member of the young caregiver's team will attend My Plan meetings and annual reviews and deliver interventions. The team also supports transitions from Year 6 into Year 7, aiming to meet every young carer before they start Notre Dame. In Year 11, our team will support students with their next steps, which might include accompanying them on visits to colleges. In addition, we offer respite trips, which have included meals out, theatre trips, and cinema experiences. We also purchase care packages (from self-care to uniforms, learning equipment to treats) throughout the year.

For more information, please email secondaryYC@ndonline.org

Safeguarding

Keeping children safe in education

Highlights the importance of improving formal identification of young carers in schools, understanding their needs, and providing early help as outlined in statutory guidance on keeping children safe in education.

Working together to safeguard children

Working together to safeguard children is statutory guidance that outlines how school and college staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for students who have taken on caring responsibilities.

To find out about support available for schools to improve their ability to identify and support young carers, visit the Young Carers in Schools website.