Young Carers

Northwood School: Whole School Commitment to Young Carers and their Families.

At Northwood School, we are committed to developing provisions for young carers and their families, so that they can attend school, enjoy their learning and fully participate in all areas of school life. We are committed to overcoming barriers to learning and helping raise the attendance and attainment of young carers.

A young carer is any young person who helps look after someone in their family – this may be due to illness, disability, mental health problems, or an addiction. Statistics show that there are likely to be young carers in every school; one in ten young carers is under ten years old.

At Northwood School we will capture the commitment by widening our provision, building on the needs of the young people, and better meeting young carers’ needs by reviewing Northwood School’s provision for young carers, with a view to ultimately achieving best practice.

How we will achieve this:

• The whole school is committed to meeting the needs of young carers so that they can attend and enjoy school in the same way as other pupils/students and achieve their potential.
• The school has a designated Young Carers’ School Lead and a Young Carers’ Operational Lead, who are responsible for young carers and their families. Pupils and families will be made aware of the identity of this lead and how to contact them to access support.
• The school only shares information with professionals and agencies on a need-to-know basis in order to support pupils and their families.
• The school uses Pupil Premium funding to minimise any barriers to education and learning experienced by eligible young carers.
• The school has an effective referral system and strong partnerships in place with relevant external agencies, including the school nurse and the local young carers’ service.
• The school takes a proactive approach to identifying young carers.
• The school reduces barriers to education and learning and supports the wellbeing of young carers.
• The school understands the needs of families of young carers.
• The school will actively seek feedback and ideas from young carers and their families to shape and improve support.

We will strive to achieve best practice for pupils and families in our school in order to provide them with the best chance of success in their future.

If you think your child may be a young carer, please use the contact above to discuss any help or support we can offer our young carers and their families.

Further information about Young Carers can be found at the following links: