This event, organised by the ACAMH Wales Branch, focused on the role young carers play, and how to help them care for their mental health. It was being run as a tribute to our long serving Committee Chair, Jean Tomsett, who sadly passed away a while ago. Aside from people a lovely person, Jean dedicated her life to helping others in her role as a social worker, mental health professional, and ACAMH member. Jean was passionate that young carers be recognised for the role they play in society and be supported to help them develop.
Slides
Associate Professor Dr. Rebecca Lacey
About the session
A young carer is someone aged 25 and under who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. According to The Children’s Society in the UK, just between the ages of 5-17 there are 800,000 young carers. Young carers are likely to have significantly lower educational attainment than their peers. Plus many young carers, and the people around them, don’t even realise they’re carers.
This session will raise awareness about young carers, their needs, the challenges they face and how this impacts on their mental health and wellbeing. We will highlight the latest research with young carers, providing insights into important gaps that this research raises. Plus you will increase your understanding on the topic, and importantly discover how to support and signpost young carers.
Caring can be an isolating experience but having the right support in place can give young carers a better chance of succeeding in all parts of their lives. Do please sign up to this FREE session, and share with friends and colleagues.
About the talks
Associate Professor Dr. Rebecca Lacey – Research highlights into the mental health of young carers
This talk will examine what we do and do not know to date on the mental health and wellbeing of young and young adult carers from a research perspective. Becca will also present ongoing work examining the mental health and wellbeing effects of becoming a young carer in the UK.
Key learning takeaways
- Increased understanding of young carers needs and challenges
- Increased understanding of the impact of being a young carer on mental health
- Increased understanding of signposting and ways of supporting young carers
Lisa Howells & Amber Trotman from The Care Collective Young & Parent Carer Team – Young Carers in Schools Programme: Identifying and Supporting Young Carers in Education
Research has been collated from The Care Collective and the schools that the Young & Parent Carer Team support. There is also information that has been provided from Carers’ Trust, a report on ‘Support not Sympathy’, quotes from Young Carers around their mental health, links to ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’, statistics from the ONS as well as the Children’s Society and Me-We which covers the EU. All links for research completed will be provided to guests.
Key learning takeaways
- To understand what a Young Carer is and what they might have to do at home.
- To recognise how caring affects Young Carers in different ways, including their mental health.
- To recognise the support available to Young Carers.
About the speakers
Associate Professor Dr. Rebecca Lacey is a social epidemiologist who researches how care impacts on various aspects of life including mental health, work, relationships and education. She is particularly interested in the lives of young and young adult carers. She currently leads a Nuffield Foundation research grant investigating the longer-term outcomes of young carers in the UK. She also works on the Eurocare project which examines and compares the influence of young adult caring across the UK, Germany, Spain and Norway.
The Care Collective – The Young & Parent Carer Team provides a Young Carers in Schools Programme to enable schools to identify and support young carers; giving them the same access to education, opportunities and future life chances as their peers. Schools produce, collate and submit evidence for a portfolio which is reviewed by a Peer Review Panel made up of Young Carers. The five themes focused on for evidence are for schools to: understand, inform, identify, listen and support Young Carers. In turn, resources and activities are provided to schools from the team in order for school staff to raise awareness of Young Carers, especially around key dates such as: Young Carers Action Day, Carers Week, Carers Rights Day as well as Children in Need.