Carers Week 2023
Carers Week takes places from the 5-11 June 2023, with charities, organisations and individuals getting together to show support for the millions of unpaid carers in the UK – and to spread the word about the challenges they face throughout the year and what needs to be done to improve their daily lives.
The theme for Carers Week 2023 is “Recognising and supporting carers in the community.” Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring and help people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
Young Carers
Young Carers are young people under 18 who are looking after or supporting someone at home who, through illness, disability, substance dependency or mental health issues is unable to care for themselves. The person they care for could be a parent, sibling, grandparent, or other close member of the family. Young carers are often classed as ‘vulnerable’ due to some of the tasks that they may have to perform or the level of caring they undertake. Being a young carer can impact them in the following ways: limited social interaction, feelings of isolation, impact on their mental and physical health, educational difficulties, tiredness, and stress.
What young carers might do:
- Household Chores such as cooking, cleaning, washing
- Shopping and paying the bills
- Administering medication
- Helping with mobility issues
- Personal Care such as washing, dressing, toileting
- Looking after brothers and sisters
- Emotional Support, listening, comforting, keeping an eye
- Coping in an emergency
- Helping the person they care for to feel better about themselves
- Looking after someoneif they are drunk or have taken drugs
- Interpreting
Identifying Young Carers:
- The presence of illness, disability, mental health or substance dependency within the family
- Attendance issues in school
- Tiredness
- Isolation from peers
- Young person assumes a parental role to siblings
- Young person is sometimes unwell, stressed or depressed
- Young person is not participating in leisure activities
- Young person may possess behavioural problems
The work of the Trust
The Ealing and Hounslow Young Carers Projects is run by Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and support young carers between the ages of eight and eighteen who live in the London Boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow. The Young Carers Project provides information and advice, fun activities in school holidays, weekly youth clubs, specialist workshops and one to one support. The project is a chance for young carers to have a break from their caring role and to meet other young people who are in a similar situation. We aim to make each session a place where young carers can have fun and support each other in a safe environment.
Feedback from young carers and parents
“This was the best day of my life”
“He really enjoys coming to the sessions to play with new friends”
“These young carers groups are a lifeline for my children”
“I feel more able to express myself and feel more comfortable talking openly about my problems and worries”
If you know a young carer who may benefit from our support please contact Kathryn Sobczak, Young Carers Manager at Brentford FC Community Sports Trust on ksobczak@brentfordfccst.com or 079265 91468.
