A young carer is classed as someone under 18 who looks after an ill or disabled family member or friend, or a family member who misuses drugs and alcohol.
The My Time project from the Jersey Youth Service has worked to put young carer leads in six secondary schools and is liaising with others to identify students providing care to ensure they receive support.
JCG pupil Skye (12) has been a young carer since 2011, looking after her autistic brothers while helping her parents, who have had health issues. She was due to speak at a school assembly today about her experiences.
She said: ‘After school my work starts and I do the laundry if mum or dad are busy, or if my brothers have had a bad day I try to keep them calm.
‘There are a lot of young carers in the school that people don’t know about and I want to help them to come forward and to enlighten others about what it is like to be a young carer.’
Her mother, Zoie, added: ‘Some jobs she does may seem like silly things like doing the washing, but it helps me keep on top of things. It is nice to know my daughter has that ability and when she grows up she will be able to face the world. She really is a super child.’
Other initiatives, such as establishing care support groups, have also been put in place thanks to government funding, Jersey Support Youth Charitable Trust and the LV Care Group.
Ciaran Doherty, a youth worker for Jersey Youth Service, said: ‘The young carer groups we have in schools offer peer support and help young carers to understand that they are not alone. We work with schools to try and set things up and identify the young carers. There are young carers out there who we don’t know about and haven’t made themselves known, and by raising awareness we hope they can come forward and get the support on offer.’
Education Minister Tracey Vallois added: ‘It is important that we do all that we can to support young carers, who do such valuable work.
‘We need to make sure that they have the same opportunity as every other young person to achieve across the board – whether that is giving young carers respite and time to socialise or education support so that they can get the grades that they are capable of.’
