Young Carers :
Less Talk, More Action

Since the last issue of the webmag the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children has held two meetings:

• On 30 April jointly with the APPG Aids where three International organisations presented their experiences working with orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV and Aids in developing countries

• On 13 May jointly with the APPG Domestic Violence on children and domestic violence

Young carers

In July 2001 a group of young carers spoke very movingly to the APPGC about their everyday experiences, frustrations and responsibilities – and about how the professionals who have such an input into their lives could learn from them and make their lives run more smoothly. Their presentation, - and particularly the young people’s constructive and practicable recommendations, - was so impressive that Lady Massey, and the other Parliamentarians who attended the meeting, invited the young people to return to monitor what has been achieved in response to their messages.

On 7 May 2003, eight young carers and their support workers spent the day in the Houses of Parliament, listening to Prime Minister’s Question Time in the House of Commons chamber, having a tour of Big Ben, participating in a feedback session with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children, eating cucumber sandwiches and scones in the House of Lords, and listening to part of a debate in the House of Lords chamber.

Parliamentarians have taken the young carers’ issues forward by introducing and speaking in debates, asking Parliamentary Questions, having meetings with Ministers and through informal working with colleagues. As a direct result of a question asked by Baroness Massey of Darwen in the House of Lords on 19 November 2001, a working group on young carers has been set up in the Department for Education and Skills.

Issues raised in the feedback session included:

• Teacher training should include the issues that young carers face.

• PSHE or citizenship education should teach other young people about the issues that young carers face and promote positive images and awareness about disabilities and mental health.

• We need to celebrate the work of young carers and schools should reward and encourage their work as community service. Ofsted should look at this issue when they inspect schools.

• There is a need for more local projects to enable all young carers to access support.

• Schools need to be aware that each young carer will have different needs according to the different circumstances in each family.

• All professionals need to understand how young carers feel about their families, their caring role, their responsibilities and their worries and uncertainties.

• Social services need to listen to young carers, who may know the situation at home better than anyone else, and provide the support they need.

The young carers felt very empowered to have the opportunity to meet with the APPGC again and will take back the messages from the meeting to the National Young Carers’ Festival (jointly organised by the Children’s Society and South East Hampshire YMCA), which over 1500 young carers attend each year. The theme for this year’s festival is “Less Talk, More Action”, and in addition to the young carers reporting back from the APPGC, young carers from projects across the UK will report back on how MPs from their own constituencies have made a difference.

Forthcoming meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children:

20 May – Children at Risk Green Paper - The Rt Hon Paul Boateng MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury

21 May – Work-life balance and Childcare – The Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP. Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry and Minister for Women (Joint meeting with APPG Childcare)

Please contact Alison Linsey, Joint Clerk to the Group (email: alinsey@ncb.org.uk):

• To be added to the email mailing list to receive minutes and notices of meetings

• For copies of minutes from any of the meetings

• For a free copy of the Group’s report ‘Commitment to Children’

• For a free copy of the Group’s report ‘Commitment to Children’

• For any further information about the Group.