Young carers across East Sussex demand a fair future

There are an estimated one million young carers in the UK - children who provide care and/or support to a family member, including siblings, or a friend, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to illness, disability or age, and can involve physical and/or emotional support.

A recent inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers found these responsibilities are having a devastating effect on their education and future prospects. It revealed a shocking 15,000 UK children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend at least 50 hours a week on caring.

To highlight the challenges local young carers in the town and the county face, Care for the Carers is hosting two activities for Young Carers Action Day:

· Meet the Young Carers Service @ Gather, The Beacon, Eastbourne, Wednesday 13 March, 10am – 3pm

Come and learn more about Care for the Carers’ Young Carers Service and meet the team that work with young carers.

· Learn, Discuss, Do – a Workshop for Professionals, Practitioners and the Community, The View Hotel, Eastbourne, Thursday 14 March, 2pm – 5.30pm

Please join Care for the Carers to:

· Learn - hear more about the national and local picture for young carers

· Discuss - partake ingroup sessions with other professionals, young carers and young adult carers to think about how we can work together to improve recognition and support

· Do – make a simple pledge on how you can support making East Sussex ‘young carer friendly’.

“My favourite thing is that I get to talk to people a lot and I get to go out, it’s really nice to go out with the other young carers and stuff. I really like coming to the clubs. It makes a lot of difference to just mess around and be with others. My school has been helpful but not as much as young carers. I would love it if the clubs could be weekly, not just monthly.”

- D, aged 12

“The Young Carers Service has helped our family deal with my illness. Fantastic support for a young carer who was struggling with his peers but is now happy to explain why he can’t do everything his friends do.”

- D’s mum

Young Carers Action Day is an annual event organised by Carers Trust to raise awareness of the pressures placed on so many young people. This year’s theme is ‘Fair Futures for Young Carers’, highlighting howyoung and young adult carers are significantly less likely to undertake higher education or enter employment than their peers without a caring responsibility.

To mark the day, Carers Trust and its network of organisations and young carers are launching a Young Carers Covenant, the first UK-wide commitment to young and young adult carers. Young carers and their support organisations have written to councillors and their local MPs, asking them to support the covenant. Businesses and schools are also being asked to sign up to the pledge.

Jennifer Twist, Chief Executive at Care for the Carers says:“Young carers tell us how much they value the clubs, activities and support our service provides, but there is much more needed to provide the thousands of young carers in East Sussex and across the UK with the support they need and the opportunities they deserve. Care for the Carers is supporting the Young Carers Covenant and encouraging local services and organisations to sign up, to support young carers and young adult carers.

“Our Young Carers Service is for all young carers aged 5 to 17 years, living, attending school or caring for someone in East Sussex. We run monthly Young Carers Clubs, free holiday activities, and we help young carers access services and activities. We also have a Young Adult Carer Service for carers aged between 17 and 25. Please get in touch with us if you know a young carer who needs support, or are a young carer yourself.”