Dorset’s young carers choosing between caring and education
They're over twice as likely to be suspended and/or persistently absent from school
Studies have found young carers in Dorset are twice more likely to be suspended or absent from school than their peers.
MYTIME Young Carers, a national charity based in Bournemouth, found young carers continue to face significant hurdles, impacting their attendance, behaviour and overall well-being.
Their report highlighted the persisting disparities faced by young carers in comparison to their peers.
Krista Sharp, CEO of MyTime Young Carers, told us: “Young carers are often dealing with a huge amount of pressure at home and that pressure can bubble up in a school environment where schools are very strict in terms of their rules and expectations, so for young carers to meet those expectations it can be very difficult.”
Young carers aged 11-16 are over twice as likely to be suspended and/or persistently absent from school than their peers without a caring responsibility.
Consequently, young carers in secondary school are less likely to pass GCSE English and Maths, and significantly less likely to achieve the highest scores.
Krista said: We're looking at young carers being out of school a significant proportion of the time. And then it's unsurprising that what we saw was that young carers academically are not achieving the same as their peers. They are significantly less likely to achieve those top grades. And so it can create a really uncertain future for young carers.
There are calls for Government to commit £29million a year to train a ‘Young Carer Champion’ in every school.
MYTIME believe this would increase the identification of young carers and improve the targeted support they receive.
In the long run, the ‘Young Carer Champion’ could deliver training to all school staff and help set up young carer support groups.
Krista said: "The findings of this study raise serious concerns about the educational experiences and outcomes for young people who have a caring responsibility and the clear and urgent actions which must be taken to address those concerns.
“There is an acute need for young carers to be identified as distinct ‘group’ by Ofsted in the new education inspection framework.
“This top-down approach would ensure that schools were asked to report on the identification of young carers and the support being provided, to ensure their wellbeing, attendance and attainment is improved.
“Schools need to be provided with the right training and tools to both identify young carers and to support them adequately and appropriately.
“Without urgent action, we risk failing generations of children who provide care for their families and perpetuating or amplifying the inequalities they already face, effectively punishing children for caring.”