Dorset charity urges schools to better support young carers
MYTIME Young Carers is urging the government to make two changes in schools to support children with caring responsibilities
A Dorset-based charity is calling for urgent national reforms to help thousands of young carers who remain hidden in the education system.
MYTIME Young Carers met with MP Vikki Slade and Sir Ed Davey to push for practical changes that could significantly improve outcomes for children juggling school with caring responsibilities.
Young carers, children who look after family members at home, often go unrecognised by schools, leaving them at greater risk of poor attendance, exclusion and disrupted education.
Krista Cartlidge, chief executive of MYTIME, said the discussions quickly moved beyond awareness to solutions: “In the schools we work with where there are Young Carer Champions, we see attendance amongst young carers improve 6% each year.
“This could have a huge impact on their outcomes academically and their ability to get involved with clubs and societies.”
The charity is calling for two key changes: ensuring all schools record young carers in the national School Census and funding a trained “young carer champion” in every school to provide consistent support.
Ms Cartlidge said: “A huge percentage of young carers continue to stay under the radar, meaning they're not understood and they're not supported.
“Only 31% of schools return data saying that they have young carers. The issue that creates is they’re unable to analyse the impact that being a young carer has on education.
The Young Carer Champion is there to help address those tensions and give young carers a warm and safe person for them to talk to.”
Vikki Slade backed the proposals, highlighting the importance of accurate data. “Without knowing that a child is a young carer, schools cannot support them and meet their additional needs,” she said.
She also signalled potential legislative action, saying she hopes to bring forward a bill to guarantee a designated support lead in every school.
The campaign builds on work already undertaken locally with BCP Council and Bournemouth and Poole College, where efforts have been made to better identify and assist young carers.