The Young Carers' Project, part of Kingston Carers' Network. They are a charity dedicated to supporting children and young people in the borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, between the ages of 5 and 18, who have caring responsibilities for someone at home.
Young carers help, for example, to look after their mum, dad, brother, sister, grandparent or someone else who lives at home with them. The person they look after might have:
A sensory impairment
A long-term illness
A physical or learning disability
A drug or alcohol problem
Mental ill health
Each young carer and their family are different which means that each young carer's caring role is likely to be different. Some responsibilities might be:
Helping around the house (for example, washing clothes, cleaning, washing up after dinner).
Looking after brothers or sisters (for example, helping them to get ready for school, taking them to school or picking them up, keeping an eye on them at home).
Helping with personal care (for example, washing the person they care for or helping them to get dressed).
Helping with financial issues (for example, paying the bills, going to the bank).
Interpreting or translating for the person they care for.
Helping with medical issues (for example, going with the person they care for to appointments, helping them to take their medicine).
Keeping someone safe and keeping them company.
They may not do many of these practical tasks, but might do lots of worrying about someone at home. Sometimes, young carers can also feel like they are missing out on things that their friends are doing because they have to help to look after someone. Kingston Carers' Network's Young Carers' Project is open to all young carers living in, or caring for someone living in, the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. They work hard to offer young carers opportunities to access information, advice, support and a break from caring in a safe and positive environment outside of the home (visit their how we can help page for more information).
They provide:
information and advice, including 1-to-1 support
opportunities to meet other young carers
fun activities, outings and breaks away from home
regular drop ins
awareness raising of the needs of young carers, particularly in schools
advocacy and whole family support
quarterly newsletter
If you feel your child is a young carer and would benefit from support from The Young Carers' Project, you can make a referral to the form which can be downloaded from their website: https://www.kingstonyoungcarers.org.uk
We would be very happy to support you with your referral - please do contact the school to request this.