As Children’s Commissioner it is my mission to make England the best country for children to grow up. This means the ambitions of every child must be matched with the support they need around them to help them succeed.
I am determined that we achieve this vision for all children especially young carers as we mark Young Carers Action Day today.
I know from speaking to young carers that they provide essential support to family members and take on a vast range of extra responsibilities to look after their loved ones.
Understandably, these extra responsibilities can have a big impact on children’s lives and their wellbeing. Young carers are providing immeasurable support to their families, sometimes at the cost of their own education.
It is our job to support young carers, such that they can go on to achieve their ambitions. We should be no less ambitious for young carers than we are for all children.
To mark Young Carers Action Day I have asked one of my Ambassadors Maya, who is a young carer, to share some tips on what you can do to help someone who is a young carer.
Maya’s advice is to:
Check in – being a young carer is difficult, just make sure they know you are there for them.
Offer a change of scenery – being a young carer can affect the whole of their family too. For young carers family life can be very stressful so sometimes just an invitation to do something away from their home can mean a lot.
Don’t assume they’re ok – you may only be seeing what is happening to them on the surface, they might be really great at hiding what is really happening to them, and how it is affecting them.
Don’t be afraid to give them space – being an young carer can be very overwhelming they will know their situation best and sometimes they might need a bit of time and space to figure something out.
Be there for them in the long term – being a young carer isn’t temporary, for most people it will continue until they turn 18 and beyond, keep making sure they are ok.
