A thought provoking conference to raise awareness of young carers and the issues that affect their lives every day was held at the Villa Marina on Thursday (9 May).
Crossroads Care held the conference in their 25th year of caring on the Island. Delegates heard how everyone has a responsibility to ensure that young carers are supported.
Speakers Karen Davies, Children’s Services Officer at Crossroads Care and Daniel Phelps, Development and Policy Manager for Young Carers at the Carers Trust addressed the conference about support on the island, identifying young carers and the UK situation around support for young carers and their rights in the UK.
Statistics drawn from local schools for the conference showed that 13 per cent of local children aged 5 – 13 are providing high – very high levels of care and 68 per cent of identified young carers are providing the same high level. Global research into where the island places in terms of understanding young carers puts the Island just above Sub-Sahara Africa!
The conference was supported by a video of local young carers talking frankly about their lives, their hopes and aspirations and what would improve their situations. The negative impacts of caring included limited opportunities, feelings of exclusion, employment difficulties, health problems and a lack of understanding. The young carers who spoke in the film asked for simple things that we could all do that would improve their situations dramatically.
One young carer said: “I am late [to school] for a reason and teachers need to understand that. Emails have gone out explaining why I am late but they wonder how it can make me late. It really upsets me that they don’t care, I would like them to understand a lot more.”
“A lot of adults and teachers don’t know what it’s like here and that this thing exists. Teachers think it’s an excuse some of us have to be late or whatever and I think something should be done about it!”
Practitioners left the conference pledging to do something within their own practice to support young carers in the best way possible. Pledges included listening more effectively to young people, look for reasons for behaviour rather then be judgemental, support raising the profile of young carers and to aim higher!
Crossroads will be holding a second conference about adult carers at the Villa Marina in September and are looking into a second viewing of the young carers film for next month. If you would be interested in finding out more about young carers, Crossroads project or the forthcoming conference and / or screening please contact Alex Wilson on 673103.
Photo - from left to right: Jackie Betteridge (CEO, Crossroads Care), Stuart Nelson (Barclays), Daniel Phelps (Carers Trust) and Karen Davies (Children’s Services Officer, Crossroads Care).
