Young Carers

At Pendragon Community Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that all pupils get the support they need to have a positive school experience, to achieve their full potential and that they are happy in school.

 “A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 who provides care, assistance or support to another family member who is disabled, physically or mentally ill, or has a substance misuse problem. This includes practical and/or emotional support.”

Some young carers might be doing lots of caring at home and others just a small amount, but many are impacted by their situation at home. From worrying about a person with a health condition to needing to do more things for themselves compared to other pupils, many provide support at home, which may go unnoticed.
 
-Practical Tasks such as cooking, housework and shopping
-Looking after brothers and sisters
-Emotional support such as talking to someone who is distressed
-Helping someone communicate
-Physical Care such as helping someone get out of bed
-Helping to give medicine
-Personal care such as helping someone dress
-Helping to manage the family budget
 

There are lots of support available for young carers and their families should they ever need it – both inside and outside of school and raising awareness is key.

 

  • Mrs Karen Smith

    Family Worker and Young Carers Champion

    Familyworker@pendragon.cambs.sch.uk

    At Pendragon, Mrs Smith provides support for our Young Carers through 1:1 check in’s and a dedicated Young Carers Group.

    Internal Support in school
    Support may look different for all of our Young Carers with support tailored to their individual need. Whether this is having support and extra time to complete their homework, having time to talk, completing activities they might not get to do at home due to their additional responsibilities or for some, just having some time out. Mrs Smith liaises with parents and carers to keep them up to date with support provided in school.

    External Support
    Mrs Smith also liaises with a local charity called Centre 33, who provide additional support to some of our young carers. The external support from Centre 33 can be accessed through a referral process which Mrs Smith can do for you, with your parental consent. If you wish to know more about the referral process, please do contact her or click the Centre 33 link below for more information.

If you think that any of the above applies to your child, and you think that they might be a young carer, please contact Mrs Smith to discuss with her how we can support them in school. Even if you feel like your child does not require any support at present, it is always good for her to know just in case home circumstances change.

You can find further information on support for young carers on the following websites:

Centre 33

https://centre33.org.uk/

Carers Trust