"Juggling School and Family Responsibilities: The Struggles of Young Carers"
In the UK, schools are working tirelessly to support young carers - students who balance their academic responsibilities with the care of ill or disabled family members. Despite various initiatives, challenges persist in ensuring these students receive the necessary help to thrive academically.
The Department for Education recommends that schools appoint a dedicated staff member, known as a Student Carer Lead, to champion the cause of young carers. This role involves raising awareness of their needs, coordinating support within the educational setting, and ensuring that young carers receive tailored help and accommodations.
Schools are also encouraged to increase awareness among staff about the challenges faced by young carers. This understanding enables educators to provide flexible support, such as adjusted deadlines or additional pastoral care. Furthermore, enhanced identification systems help recognise students with caring responsibilities early, so support can be put in place before academic attainment suffers.
However, research indicates that these supports are often insufficient to fully address the profound impact of caring responsibilities on academic achievement. Young carers still face significant academic disadvantages, including lower grades and fewer qualifications compared to their peers. They are 19% less likely to pass A-levels and 60% less likely to achieve key academic benchmarks. Moreover, they tend to pursue vocational pathways more often, though without better outcomes, suggesting that school support has not fully mitigated the impact of caring duties on education.
Systemic challenges, such as socioeconomic factors and underfunded social care services, also contribute to delays in providing support to young carers both in school and beyond. Financial assistance at the university level is described as limited and discretionary, adding to the difficulties faced as young carers progress in education.
One young adult, who has been caring for their disabled father since childhood, shared their experiences. Their duties include feeding, getting things, and helping with hospital appointments. Despite round-the-clock care, their father still requires assistance. The young adult, who uses humor to refer to their caregiving responsibilities as 'dad-min', faces a dilemma due to having to help recover a stolen phone for their severely physically disabled father.
Being a young carer can lead to isolation due to lack of time for friends and family. The writer, for instance, did not remember having a conversation about the responsibilities of caring for their first pet. The education of young carers can be negatively impacted due to less time for schoolwork. The difficulties faced by young carers can include managing workload, stress, and emotional strain.
The annual Young Carers Action Day recently took place, aiming to raise awareness about the challenges faced by young carers and the need for comprehensive policy changes and increased funding to improve these outcomes. It is crucial that we continue to support these resilient young individuals, ensuring they have the opportunities to succeed academically and personally.
- To bolster family-health and mental-health, it's crucial that schools prioritize mental health awareness workshops and counseling services for young carers, addressing the emotional strain they often face.
- In the realm of home-and-garden, organizations could provide support by offering grant programs for young carers, helping to cover the cost of home modifications that would ease their caregiving duties.
- As part of a holistic health-and-wellness approach, parenting workshops could be designed to educate parents on how to balance their children's academic and caregiving responsibilities, fostering a healthier family-dynamics.
- In terms of lifestyle, companies might consider implementing flexible working hours or remote work options for young carers, allowing them to better manage both their workload and caregiving duties, ultimately leading to improved academic performance.
