Page 20 - OCF Oxfordshire Uncovered

Oxfordshire Uncovered
Number of young carers receiving support
Academic stage
Number of young carers
Foundation (age 4–5)
6
Primary – Key Stages 1 and 2 (age 5–11)
269
Secondary – Key Stages 3 and 4 (age 11–16)
332
Further education (age 16–19)
98
Young adults (19–25)
24
TOTAL
729
COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS
Be Free Young Carers
Be Free YC offers free, friendly, con dential advice and support to young carers. As well as a sympathetic ear and emotional support, trips are organised to give young carers a break from their responsibilities and help them socialise with other young carers. They are a place to turn to for nancial or practical advice, and offer a safe haven for children who may nd it impossible
to relax, experience stress and pressure, or nd their situation embarrassing to discuss with their peers.
Since 1997 OCF has supported Be Free YC with nearly 20 separate grants totalling over £66,000.
Source: Oxfordshire Young Carers Service
Shouldering the responsibility of caring for another can put enormous pressure on these young people. The task can be immensely time consuming – in the UK, nearly 20% of 5–17 year- olds do at least 20 hours per week, with some doing more than 50. These hours, together with the time spent worrying about the person they care for, often affect their education. In Oxfordshire:
• Around a third of young carers have school attendance below 85%.
• Young carers are 13% less likely to achieve Level 4 or higher at Key Stage 2, and 22% less likely to gain ve or more A* to C GCSEs.
• 38% of young carers are identi ed as having Special Educational Needs – likely to be as a result of time spent away from the classroom.
These dif culties also translate into problems later in life, when young carers in the 16-to-19 age group are signi cantly more likely to be NEET (not in education, employment or training).
This can have a detrimental effect on carers’ mental health. One survey found that 75% of young carers experienced depression or stress in the previous year; and the 2011 census found that young carers providing more than 50 hours of care per week were up to ve times more likely to report their health as “Not Good”.
Since April 2015, new laws under the Children and Families
Act and the Care Act have placed responsibility on authorities
to actively identify young carers and support them. However, identi cation is not easy, and as social care budgets are being cut and home help is being withdrawn from many adults, it is likely that more children are going to be pushed into caring roles.
Young carers value a number of sources of support because they make a positive difference to their mental health. For example, counselling and practical help from a professional support worker, or exibility and understanding from their school.
The delivery of these services, in particular ones that take a ‘whole- family’ approach, require joined-up working between young carers services, mental health services, schools and charitable groups.
We are concerned that there is a signi cant lack of support available for young carers. These young people risk becoming vulnerable adults, more prone to deprivation and even exploitation.
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“We are seeing a worryingly
high proportion of young carers developing mental health issues due to the impact of their caring roles.”
John Tabor, Manager Be Free Young Carers
Photo: Damian Halliwell