Young carers from Bury enjoyed a celebration to mark Young Carers Action Day this week, as the council’s youth service organised a special meal and treats for them in recognition of the annual event.
The Carers Trust held its awareness day on Wednesday 12 March with the theme Give Me a Break, which highlights the need for giving young carers the respite they need to balance caring responsibilities with their education and personal lives.
Young carers are young people who look after a family member due to reasons such as illness or disability, and as a result have a great deal of responsibility on their shoulders, in addition to the everyday demands of school or college.
Surveys have identified that young carers feel that one of the biggest things that would make a difference for them is getting more support and understanding in schools, colleges and universities.
Bury Council wrote to education providers asking them to also mark the day and encourage young carers to share their stories to emphasize the impact of their caring responsibility to raise awareness.
We are also offering schools further support to assist them in identifying young carers and work together to wrap around support in partnership.
The council’s young carers and youth services offers weekly young carer drop-ins, which for some young carers might be the only time they are able to relax and talk about the challenges they face.
Maisie (aged 14), who attends the sessions, welcomed the idea of a Young Carers Action Day, saying: “It would be better for people to understand about young carers and hear about them more, because when you talk to people about it nobody has any idea about what it is or what you have to do.”
Her friend Ellie, also 14, says: “It would be nice if people had more awareness of what it is like to have to look after someone at home. I like coming here and seeing all my friends and having people to talk to because I know they can relate to the type of things I am going through.”
Councillor Lucy Smith, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "In Bury, we recognise the dedication and resilience of our young carers. These young people make significant sacrifices to care for family members while navigating their own educational and personal journeys.
"We invite everyone in Bury to join us in celebrating and supporting our young carers. Together, we can make a difference by providing the recognition they deserve and creating the necessary support structure to enable them to thrive."
If you are, or if you know of, a young carer in Bury, information, support and advice are available at the Bury Young Carers service, which offers one-to-one and group support and activities for young people aged 7 to 18. Young people can self-refer, or can be referred by a care worker, friend or family member.
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