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Young Carers' Accreditation
Caring for those who care for others
On Thursday 18 March 2021 Susan Wright from Gloucestershire Young Carers visited Deer Park to present the school with a plaque acknowledging that Deer Park has been awarded Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning (GHLL) Young Carers Accreditation.
We officially became accredited in May 2020 (read more…) but, as with so many things, the global pandemic played havoc with non-essential meetings. However, we were delighted to welcome Susan to Deer Park this year!
Young Carers are defined as children and young people under the age of 18 who take on caring responsibilities normally associated with an adult. This tends to happen if a child's parent or adult carer is seriously ill, disabled, has mental health problems or misuses drugs or alcohol, but many Young Carers care for a sibling.
Ms Henson, Headteacher: ‘I am very grateful to Mrs Hannis, our Young Carers Lead, for the support and encouragement she gives our young carers. It is always a salutary lesson to learn what some of our young people do before and after school to assist other family members and promote their wellbeing.’
What might a Young Carer do?
- Practical tasks, like cooking, housework and shopping.
- Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed.
- Emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed.
- Personal care, such as helping someone dress.
- Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions.
- Helping to give medicine.
- Helping someone communicate.
- Looking after brothers and sisters.
Mrs Hannis in our Pastoral Team is our Young Carers Lead at Deer Park and a vocal advocate for the young people who have a caring role in their lives outside of school. “Whilst caring leads to development of valuable skills like resilience, responsibility, time-management, kindness and empathy, caring can be isolating, worrying and stressful. For young carers this can negatively impact on their education and aspirations. At Deer Park we work hard to support all our young people but recognise that some, due to circumstances beyond their control, should get the additional recognition, help and support they deserve for their lives now and for their futures.”
As Hana Gill from Gloucestershire Young Carers commented in May 2020 “We are very pleased to announce that you have achieved the GHLL Young Carers Accreditation. This award recognises schools in the county that are achieving best practice in their work with young carers. … clearly displays how hard yourself and other staff at the school work to ensure that young carers are able to thrive and achieve at Deer Park.”
Key tips for young carers:
- Think about yourself too – it's OK to have fun, to see your friends (when coronavirus rules allow) etc.
- It's OK to ask for help and support for you and your family.
- Speak to someone you trust – don’t bottle it up.
- Anything is possible – keep exploring.
- You have amazing skills and talents, even though you may not realise it yet.
- Take it day by day - find the positives.
- And always remember you are amazing!
- Read more…
If you wish to talk with someone at Deer Park about Young Carers, please contact Senior Year Leader Mrs Hannis.
Useful Links: