A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a relative who has a condition, such as a disability, illness, mental health condition, or a drug or alcohol problem. This can be help with cleaning, cooking, shopping, medication or help supporting siblings and/or giving emotional or physical support.
At St Andrews, we are aware that children of a primary age can become young carers and that this can mean that they need extra support with a wide range of issues. We have developed a ‘Whole School Commitment’ to reflect the importance of this issue:
‘St Andrews Methodist Primary School is fully committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other pupils and achieve their potential.
The school has a designated Young Carers’ Operational Lead (Family Support Worker- Grace Thomas) with responsibility for young carers and their families and a designated Strategic Lead (Headteacher – Mrs Barker), who ensures that all procedures are in place to create a safe and supportive environment for young carers.
Pupils and families are made aware of the identity of these leads, and how to contact them, through information on the website and school noticeboards. Our school has an effective in house referral system and a strong partnership with relevant external agencies, including Salford Young Carers, and will work to ensure that pupils are able to access the help that they need. Our school will only share information with professionals and agencies on a need to know basis in order to support pupils and their families’
If you think that you might be a young carer, or you may know a young carer, Grace Thomas can offer support and let you know about many different agencies that might be able to help. You can contact Grace through the school office or by phone on 01617903194
You can also find more information out about young carers at www.salfordyoungcarers.org.uk
You can also find out more about what young carers do by watching this video, produced by Salford Young Carers and featuring Salford children who are young carers themselves:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHO8iRSuxyc&t=104s
