Young Carers

By definition, a young carer is someone under the age of 18 who looks after a family member or friend who has a physical or mental health condition, or misuses drugs or alcohol. They may also look after brothers, sisters or elderly relatives too. Even the youngest children at Eastry may be classed as young carers.


If a child is caring for somebody this will impact on their childhood .They may miss school because of their responsibilities and they may not have time to take part in out of school activities and meet other children after school.


If you think that your child might be a young carer, please contact the school and we can ensure that your child has access to support groups and activities both within and outside school.


From Spring 2023, young carers are for the first time going to be included on the school census return. This will enable a much better picture of the number of young carers in schools, but will also provide opportunities to use this data to monitor attendance and attainment of young carers.


If you would like to find out more about young carers , the Children’s Society provides clear guidance.
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/supporting-young-carers/facts-about-young-carers
 

There is also lots of useful information and support can also be found at Carers UK.  https://www.carersuk.org/scotland/help-and-advice/financial-support/support-for-young-carers/