16 young carers as young as 5 years old, who are supported in their schools through the Young Carers in Schools (YCiS) project, have come together to produce an inspiring, awareness-raising video featuring their own lived experiences as young carers.
The film project, funded by Somerset Community Foundation, is a collaboration between Youth Unlimited, Somerset Schools’ Young Carers’ Leads network and Boom Satsuma’s Create Agency.
Filming took place over 2 days at Northgate Primary School in Bridgwater and at St Margaret’s CEVA in Tintinhull, following 2 hands-on, interactive training workshops facilitated by Boomsatsuma, based in Bristol.
The trainee crew from Create Agency was motivated and inspired to capture the young carers’ stories and did an outstanding job working within the school settings alongside multidisciplinary professionals, the media, and with the young carers themselves.
This project was an amazing opportunity for young carers across the key stages to share their worries, hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Young carers are children under 18 who are responsible for the care of a family member who, due to illness, disability, mental health condition or chemical dependency, rely on their support.
The YCiS award is run by charities The Children’s Society and Carers Trust. In Somerset, Youth Unlimited CIC employs a YCiS Project Coordinator who can provide schools across the county with free, step-by-step guidance for teachers, leaders and non-teaching staff to gain the practical tools they need to identify and help young carers.
Schools can achieve the award by demonstrating how they identify and support young carers through an evidence-based application process. ‘Small Shoulders: when childhood carries more than it should’ will provide an invaluable link to raising awareness amongst children, parents and school staff about young carers and the challenges they may face.
Michelle Palmer, Somerset’s YCiS Project Coordinator, said:
It was an honour and privilege to facilitate this project on behalf of Young Carers in Schools. It is so humbling and inspiring to be able to share this experience with so many young carers and to showcase the incredible work that our schools are doing.
By sharing their own personal stories, these extraordinary young people will leave a lasting legacy that will help to raise awareness of the invaluable role that our young carers play. Youth Unlimited is proud to support this truly inspiring work.
Research by Carers Trust shows 40% of young carers say they don’t get enough support to balance education and caring. Separate research by The Children’s Society shows young carers get an average of one grade lower in GCSE subjects than their peers and they often also have lower levels of self-confidence and mental wellbeing.
The new Ofsted inspection framework sets out that all school staff should be particularly alert to the potential need for early help for young carers. The Young Carers in Schools Award is a way of helping schools address this.
You can view the video ‘Small Shoulders: when childhood carries more than it should’ below:
Issued on behalf of Youth Unlimited CIC
