Schools to celebrate Lincolnshire's 6,000 young carers

Schools will be marking Young Carers Awareness Day by running sessions for young carers so they can chat with other people in their shoes. A young carer from Lincoln has shared their story in a video for pupils to find out more about what life is like for a young person caring for a loved one.

Young Carers Awareness Day on January 28 is a national day of recognition for the 700,000 young carers in the UK who work around the clock providing care and support to family members.

Lincolnshire County Councillor Patricia Bradwell, executive member for Children’s Services, said: “Raising awareness is very important because many children and young people don’t even realise that the things they do at home mean they are a young carer, let alone the support they could get.

“Whenever our children’s services staff work with families and children, they look at all the circumstances so they can identify young carers, talk to them to see what help they might need to manage their role and see if there are other services that can help the family too.

“With around 6,000 young carers in Lincolnshire, that’s 6,000 reasons to improve people’s understanding about the valuable job young carers do, so that children feel supported by their friends, schools and communities.”

A young carer is a young person under the age of 18 years helping to care for a family member affected by a physical disability, mental health condition, illness or addiction. Young carers can be from any background and any family.

• For more information about support available for young carers, whether you are a professional, young person, or family member, please contact the Lincolnshire Young Carers Service on 01522 553275 or email [email protected].