1. Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and SC037605

2. Barnardo’s…
Barnardo’s is the country’s oldest and largest children’s charity. The charity works to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children.
Today, Barnardo’s supports over 272,000 children, young people, parents and carers to transform their lives and overcome challenges to move towards a bright and happy future.

3. Who are young carers?
Children and young people under 18 who care for a relative who has a disability, illness, mental health condition, or a drug or alcohol problem.
Often they spend over 20 hours a week caring for their relative, most commonly their mum. This is more than half a full-time job!

4. Young carers in the UK
The BBC estimates there are over 700,000 young carers in the UK!
Some children are as young as five when they start caring for a family member.
Reference for Statistic: BBC 2010 (

5. What types of tasks do young carers do?
Cleaning
Washing
Administer medicines
Caring for siblings
Translating
Paying household bills
Bathing their relative
Shopping
Emotional support and supervision
And much more…
This is on top of keeping up with their school work!

6. How does this affect children?
Many of these children take on all the stresses and strains of running a home and caring for someone at a very young age. This inevitably has an impact on their school attendance, physical & emotional health, social relationships and their future.

7. Facts about young carers
1 in 12 secondary school pupils are carers.
1 in 20 miss school due to their caring role.
39% said no one in their school was aware of their caring role.
They are 1.5 times more likely than their classmates to have a special educational need or a disability.
Reference for statistics:

8. Facts about young carers
60% of young carers say caring makes them feel isolated or anxious.
50% of young carers surveyed said that their emotional health and wellbeing had been impacted by being a carer.
26% reported being bullied.
Reference (1) :
References (2):

9. How Barnardo’s helps
Providing emotional support and counselling to the young carer and their family to ensure the cared for person gets the help and support they are entitled to, so they are less reliant on the young carer.
Giving training to schools to support young carers.
Providing young carers the opportunity to meet and make friends with other young carers and join in fun activities.
Advocacy, support with school / college, getting a job and accessing grants.

10. Supporting young carers
Although Barnardo’s supports over 4000 young carers and their families in the UK in any one year, there are many vulnerable children who are not being reached. This is because they are not being recognised as a young carer or they are scared to come forward. Schools can play a leading role in the identification of young carers.
Barnardo’s undertook a YouGov survey of over 800 teachers in October 2012 to ask them about young carers within their schools. 75% of teachers and a staggering 93 % of head teachers told us that more should be done within UK schools to support Young Carers.

11. Spotting the signs Low attendance Presentation – Tired/ Hungry
Isolated/being bullied
Homework/coursework is late or poor
Anxiety/constantly worried
Behavioural problems
Poor concentration
Failure to reach their potential
Or there could be no obvious signs!
Full List:
Low or sporadic attendance
Presentation –Tired/ Hungry/ Unkempt
Not taking part in extra curricular activities.
Social skills
Isolated/ being bullied
Homework/coursework is late or poor
Anxiety/constantly worried
Behavioural problems.
Physical problems
Or there could be no obvious signs

12. Parents of young carers
Obvious disability or illness
Known to have mental health or addiction issues
Difficult to engage with
Not attending parents evenings
Not communicating with school
Or again there could be no obvious signs!

13. What can your school do?
Appoint a designated teacher with responsibility for young carers in the school.
Ensure that all teachers are trained to spot the signs of young carers.
Teachers should all be aware of where to go to receive support and information about young carers, for example for their local young carers service.
Full bullet points:
Appoint a designated teacher with responsibility for young carers in the school. That way there is a single port of call for teachers, pupils and parents on all issues to do with young carers.
Ensure that all teachers are trained to spot the signs of young carers (Barnardo’s can help with this but other organisations such as the Carer’s Trust and the Children’s Society also have great resources and schemes to support schools with young carers).
Teachers should all be aware of where to go to receive support and information about young carers, for example for their local young carers service.

14. What can your school do?
Raise awareness of young carers and the issues they face within the school through assemblies, fact sheets, posters and class activities & PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic) education lessons.
Provide opportunities for young people to be able to talk to teachers or support staff in confidence.
Allocate a mentor to provide 1:1 support.

15. Rebecca’s Story
Seventeen year old Rebecca from Flintshire has been using the Barnardo’s Cymru Flintshire young carers service.
Barnardo’s Cymru Flintshire young carers service helped her to enjoy her childhood through taking part in many different activities and events.
Reference:
“I would come home from school, do my homework and then have to help mum take dad upstairs which was always quite difficult as there were numerous tasks involved. So by the time all that was done, the night was over and it was time for bed.”
Rebecca

16. How we work with schools
Barnardo’s gives training to schools on spotting the signs of young carers and how to support them so that they can be helped before the situation reaches a crisis point.
Get in contact with your regional Barnardo’s service by telephone or for further information on making a referral for a young carer. We have included a full list of Barnardo’s young carers’ services.

17. Contact Barnardo’s… barnardos.org.uk
Barnardo's regional offices (England)
London
Address: Barnardo House, Tanners Lane, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex IG6 1QG
Telephone:
Barnardo’s Northern Ireland
Address: Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 3HE
Telephone:
Barnardo's Scotland
Address: 111 Oxgangs Road North, Edinburgh EH14 1ED
Telephone:
Barnardo's Cymru
Address: Trident Court, East Moors Road, Cardiff CF24 5TD
Telephone:
South East and East Anglia
Address: South East Regional Office, Unit 1, Satellite Business Village, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9NE
Telephone:
Midlands and South West
Address: Brooklands, Great Cornbow, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3AB
Telephone: / 6
Address: Verona House, Filwood Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3RY
Telephone:
West
Address: 7 Lineside Close, Liverpool L25 2UD
Telephone:
East
Address: Unit 13A, Silver Fox Way, Cobalt Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE27 0QJ
Telephone:
Yorkshire
Address: Rockford House, Low Lane, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5QW
Telephone:
barnardos.org.uk

18. Young Carers’ Services…
London
Indigo Young Carers
Address: 13 Granville Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4RU  Telephone: 
Young Carers, Havering
Address: Barnardo’s Havering Young Carers, 13 Granville Road, Ilford, England, IG1 4RU Telephone: 
Barnardo’s Northern Ireland
Young Carers Service Northern Ireland
Address: 36a Westland Road, Magherafelt, County Londonderry, BT45 5AY Telephone:
Barnardo's Cymru
Flintshire Young Carers & Access to Action (A2A)   
Address: Barnardo's Flintshire Services, High Street, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 1BH Telephone:    E-
Caerphilly Young Carers Service   
Address: Barnardo's Young Carers, Risca Family Centre, Risca, Newport, Caerphilly, NP11 6BH Telephone:   
Newport Young Carers Service
Address:  Barnardo's Newport Young Carers, 114 Lower Dock Street, NEWPORT, Gwent, NP20 2AF Telephone:   
barnardos.org.uk

19. Young Carers’ Services…
Barnardo's Cymru
Merthyr Young Carers Service
Address: 3G's Development Trust, 15 Chestnut Way, Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan, CF47
Midlands and South West
Young Carers - Plymouth
Address: Crownlands Childrens Centre, Delamere Road, Eggbuckland, Plymouth, PL6 5XQ Telephone:
West
Lancashire Young Carers 
Address: Barnardo’s, 1 Dorothy Avenue, Leyland, Lancashire, PR25 2YA Telephone:  
Action with Young Carers Liverpool 
Address: Barnardo’s, 109 Eaton road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L12 1LU Telephone:   
Action With Young Carers Wirral 
Address: Action with Young Carers Wirral, Ganney’s Meadow Nursery School & Family Centre, New Hey Road, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 8HB Telephone:
barnardos.org.uk

20. Young Carers’ Services…
East
Newcastle Young Carers
Address: Montague Community Centre, Houghton Avenue, Cowgate, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE5 3UT Telephone:
Yorkshire
Bradford Young Carers Service  
Address: Barnardo’s, Queens House, Queens Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD8 7BS Telephone: 
Hull Young Carers Service 
Address: Unit 1-2, Village Farm Business Centre, East Street, Holme-on-the-Wolds, Beverley, North Humberside, HU17 7GA Telephone: 01430
CareFree Young Carers' Services   
Address: Barnardo’s, West Point, Feldspar Close, Enderby, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE19 4SD Telephone:  
Kirklees Young Carers   
Address: National Children's Centre, Brian Jackson House, 2 New North Parade, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD1 5JP Telephone: 01484
barnardos.org.uk

21. Young Carers’ Services…
Yorkshire
Priory Family Centre Young Carers Service   
Address: Priory Family Centre, Priory Campus, Pontefract Road, Lundwood, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S71 5PN 
Telephone:  
Rotherham Young Carers 
Address: Barnardo’s, 10 Nightingale Court, Nightingale Close, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 2AB Telephone: 01709
Willow Young Carers   
Address: Barnardo’s Willow Young Carers Service, Host Media Centre, 21 Savile Mount , Leeds, LS7 3HZ   Telephone:  
barnardos.org.uk

22. Additional Resources for Schools…
Supporting Young Carers: a resource for schools.
Healthy Schools e- learning young carers.
Young Carers in Schools Award.
Save the date:
Young Carers Awareness Day will be held on Thursday, 25 January 2018.

23. Barnardo’s Registered Charity Nos. 216250 and SC037605