All schools should be required to have a staff lead to do the same for young carers as SENCos do for those with special educational needs, a group of MPs has said. The all-party parliamentary group for young carers and young adult carers warned many children with caring responsibilities were not being identified by schools or councils, leading to a 鈥減ostcode lottery of support鈥�. The 2021 national census identified 127,176 young carers, which itself is “likely anunderestimation” because parents filling it out may not correctly identify their children as carers. In contrast, this year鈥檚 school census, which asked for information on young carers for the first time, identified just 38,983, with 79 per cent of schools recording that they had no young carers on roll whatsoever. The APPG report called for new guidance and awareness-raising campaigns to 鈥渟upport earlier identification and a whole-setting approach to support young carers within schools, colleges and universities鈥�. This should include a 鈥渞equirement for all education institutions to have a staff lead for young carers as with pupils with SEND鈥�. Children wait years for support The report warned that as many as 15,000 children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend 50 hours or more a week looking after family members. Some are being 鈥渓eft to cope alone for 10 years before being identified, while the average waiting time to get support is three years鈥�. The APPG called for a cross-government national carers strategy, with a 鈥渄edicated section and resourced action plan relating to young carers and young adult carers鈥�. This strategy would focus on priorities identified through the inquiry, such as the need for training and dedicated staff in education settings. These professionals 鈥渟hould have strategic responsibility and oversight for identifying and implementing appropriate support for young carers and student carers鈥�. The report pointed to previous research showing how young carers faced 鈥渄istinct challenges in their attendance, attainment and experiences within education settings鈥�. For example, research by Mytime found young carers in a local pilot missed on average 27 school days per academic year. And the Children鈥檚 Society ‘Inflexibility’ in schools a ‘common theme’ A lack of awareness of caring roles by education professionals 鈥渓eads to the inflexibility of schools in responding to the impact of caring on studies鈥�, the report warned. This was a 鈥渃ommon theme in the evidence we received. Young carers also highlighted the need for greater awareness amongst other young people in schools鈥�. Conservative MP Duncan Baker, who chaired the inquiry, said it heard 鈥渢ruly concerning evidence from young carers and those who support them鈥�. 鈥淪ome young children spend 50 hours a week caring, while young adult carers have their chances of getting good GCSE results, going to university or getting a job drastically reduced by their caring role. 鈥淭he wildly uneven support available across the country shows an urgent need for the government and Parliament to work together to transform the landscape.鈥� Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the ASCL leaders鈥� union, said the report 鈥渓ays bare the difficulties faced by young carers鈥�. 鈥淪chools do everything they can to support all of their pupils but it鈥檚 clear that there is more work to do and we support calls for a national carers strategy.鈥� Additional training for staff working in education 鈥渨ould also be welcome, provided it is backed with necessary funding鈥�.
VWalker 14 November 2023 Schools do NOT do everything they can to support their pupils. The Government allows children to sacrifice their education to fill the gaps in services then has measures in place that allows schools to penalise disabled parents/ carers because their children Don鈥檛 attend school through no fault of their own because they have to care for their parents. Schools should be mandated to embrace a child centred approach. Maybe then education would be accessible to all and would be tailored to meet the needs of each child.
Kat 20 November 2023 Senco’s don’t even have the time to support the children with SEN. Let’s not make the vital role even more difficult
Michael Baybutt 15 November 2023 Yet another social care responsibility being dumped on teachers! Yes, these young people need support but they are out of school more than in. But that doesn’t appear to matter to local authorities, does it?