Lewisham's young carers

Today is Young Carers Awareness Day, which recognises the contribution and needs of young people in the UK who have responsibility for caring for a family member.

Carers Lewisham is a charity organisation based in Forest Hill that supports unpaid Carers in the London Borough of Lewisham aged 5 upwards. It works with 7,000 people and aims to improve life skills, learning, self-esteem, confidence, resilience and to help reduce inappropriate care. Carers Lewisham's Luisa Depaoli writes:

Research shows there are likely to be around 3,500 young carers in Lewisham. Carers Lewisham currently has over 700 young carers (5-17 years old) and over 300 young adult carers (18-24 years old) registered with the service. 

Being a young carer should not mean that a child’s future hopes, dreams, and ambitions are shattered. We know young carers miss or cut short on average 10 weeks of school a year as a direct result of their caring role, and those aged between 16 and 18 years are twice as likely to be not in education, employment or training (NEET)

The aim of Carers Trust’s Young Carers Awareness Day is to raise awareness of the plight of these children. Carers Trust is asking people to spot the signs of caring, such as being late or absent from school or behavioural issues. Swift identification of young carers will ensure they get vital support.

Visit www.carerslewisham.org.uk for details of local services, professional support for those working with children and young people and Carers Trust’s specialist online communities for young carers at babble.carers.org and at matter.carers.org for young adults.