A young carer is a child or young person who is helping to look after someone at home.  Young carers provide practical and/or emotional care for a family member with a long-term illness, physical disability, learning difficulty, mental ill-health, substance misuse or alcohol dependency.  Some young carers help to look after a parent and some may be caring for a sibling, grandparent or other relative. In some instances, a young carer may care for more than one family member.

A young carer will often take on additional responsibilities at home and he/she may be responsible for things that other children of the same age are not expected to do.  A young carer might be providing the main care or share responsibilities with another family member.  For example, a young carer may be providing practical help such as making meals, or physical support such as helping a parent get dressed.  A young carer may also be helping to look after a brother or sister who needs extra care.  A young carer often provides emotional support as well as physical support.    

Pirbright Village Primary School acknowledges that there are likely to be young carers among its pupils and that being a young carer can have an adverse effect on a young person’s education.

The role of the young carer is recognised and therefore, additional support is offered to these pupils through regular Young Carer PEDALS Playtime.  During this time, young carers can share stories with each other, talk about their own worries or just enjoy being amongst their peers.