Young Carers

A young carer is a young person under the age of 18 who provides ongoing unpaid care for a sibling, parent, or a significant family member. This can be someone with a diagnosed, long term/chronic illness, physical or learning difficulty, mental ill health, or substance/alcohol dependency.  This may be at home, but could also be a person who lives away from the family home. 

At The Priory School we believe it is imperative that all young people have support for their social, emotional and mental health needs, and this is especially true of Young Carers who are themselves caring for someone in their family. We recognise that when a young person looks after someone in their family who has a serious illness, disability or substance misuse problem, he or she may need a little extra support to help him or her get the most out of school. Schools can play a vital role in supporting students who provide care for someone else, as well as raising awareness in others of Young Carers’ needs.  For any number of social reasons, Young Carers can be difficult to identify, and often remain hidden from view but, with awareness and understanding, we are in a position to do all we can to support them.