Carers Bucks School Project
Young carers often report on how they experience educational difficulties. This can include significant absence from school, not feeling supported in balancing studying with their caring role, not having someone to talk to at school about being a young carer, an impact on friendships and overall lower educational attainment.
Carers Bucks is committed to working in partnership with schools to support young carers across Buckinghamshire. The project is focused on helping schools to identify and support young carers within their school setting. We work alongside the school to help establish a sustainable young carers group.
Ofsted have highlighted the needs of young carers as high priority and have looked favourably upon schools who work alongside charities and agencies to benefit pupils within schools.
How to receive a schools award
Your school can receive an annual schools award by evidencing the following within an academic year:
- A commitment to recognising and recording young carers within the school
Identifying young carers can be challenging but with an average of 1 in 5 students being a young carer there is no doubt that you have young carers in your school. See How to identify a young carer.
- Having a named ‘Young Carers Champion’ and a deputy (a DSL or assistant head to be appointed to one of these roles)
A Schools Project Agreement will need to be completed to formalise who your Carers Champions are.
- Holding a ‘Young Carers Awareness Assembly’ for all pupils within the school
Assemblies provide an overall awareness amongst peer groups and provide an opportunity for young carers to self-identify. Our schools workers will deliver a powerful assembly that highlights the life of a young carer.
- Holding a ‘Young Carers Awareness Session’ within the staff team
Identifying young carers is crucial to the success of supporting young carers. Our schools workers will support the ‘Young Carers Champion’ to deliver an awareness session to your staff.
- Raising awareness of “Young Carers Action Day” – a national day, held in March, celebrating young carers
Every year the Carers Trust selects a theme that recognises and celebrates young carers. Your school could celebrate this day in many ways such as sharing Carers Bucks social media posts.
- A commitment to developing and delivering half termly support groups (as a minimum)
Once you have a named ‘Young Carers Champion’ and have identified young carers within your school, Carers Bucks staff will help establish your very own schools group. Our schools workers will help deliver three sessions to your group alongside the Schools Champion. This is an opportunity to observe and learn how to run an engaging and successful group. For information on what the three sessions will include, see Young Carers Groups in Schools.
Carers Bucks aims to celebrate your schools achievements with an invitation to our annual schools awards ceremony.
