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Guidance

Young Carers in Schools Guidance for Schools COVID-19 Recovery and Staff Briefing

Resource title: Young Carers in Schools Guidance for Schools COVID-19 Recovery and Staff Briefing
Published: 2020 Author: Carers Trust and The Children’s Society

Downloads

This Young Carers in Schools resource helps school staff understand the challenges that young carers are experiencing during the COVID-19 crisis and offers practical guidance on how to support young carers. It is a pack which also includes a Staff Briefing for schools and a Top Tips written by young carers.

Key points

Young carers are often hidden at school and are particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis. School staff can make a huge difference to the support and attainment of young carers at this critical time by considering young carers in four main areas:

Safeguarding and identification.
Attendance.
Attainment.
Wellbeing.

About the resource

Young carers are particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis and many are juggling increased caring responsibilities with their schoolwork. With little time for respite and uncertainty about the future, many are reporting increased anxiety as well. After discussions with teachers and carer services, we wrote Guidance for Schools COVID-19 Recovery to help primary and secondary schools to identify and support their young carers at this critical time.

The guidance consists of a Top Tips and a Staff Briefing for headteachers or safeguarding leads to deliver in schools. This model of guidance, aside a more in-depth introduction to young carers, gives school staff an introduction to the issues young carers might be facing at this time and practical advice on how to ensure that young carers are able to reach their full potential during and after the crisis. Carer services and teaching staff informed the resource to ensure that it is practical and easy to use at a time when school staff have many competing priorities.

The guidance and briefing covers safeguarding, attendance, attainment and wellbeing for young carers. It encourages school staff to consider young carers as they create their plans for students to return to school. It also signposts to further resources, including the wider Young Carers in Schools programme.

We recognise that COVID-19 responses are developing quickly and is unpredictable for young carers and their schools. As the situation changes, we plan to respond with more resources to meet the needs of schools going forward.