Thank you from one of the Young Carers we help
As an organisation Voluntary Norfolk is there to support people, like young carers, when they need help the most. You may already be aware that we support young carers and their families through our Carers Matter Norfolk, Young Carers and Families service?
There are several thousand young people in Norfolk alone delivering care and support every day. At least 600 of them are spending over 50 hours a week caring, usually for a family member. These children and young people can miss out on school, having fun with their friends and the opportunities in life other young people may take for granted.
Our service works with young people who may be caring for someone in their family who can’t manage without their help or support. They could be helping a parent who has a physical disability, has poor mental health or is struggling with addiction. Similarly, they may be supporting a sibling who has a developmental or learning disability or a life limiting condition.
Our teamwork with carers as young as five who may be taking a significant role in the running of the household or actively helping to care for someone. We can support their family to access services and help to remove or reduce that caring role.
One of the main aims of the service is to give children their childhood back. One way we do this is by helping them apply for grants for items tat would improve the lives of young carers. One such example is listed below.
A Young Carer’s Story
With his mum’s support, we applied for a Carers Trust Grant to buy a new bicycle, stabilisers and safety wear for a young carer. Learning to ride a bike was a skill that he had missed learning at a younger age. This was due to his mum’s ill health and his role caring for her.
Being able to ride like his friends will give him a massive boost of confidence. This will help him to cement his friendships and hopefully forge new ones. He now has his new bike set up. He is looking forward to the good weather to get out and start to learn to ride!
Voluntary Norfolk’s Young Carers Matter team work with a number of local young carer organisations to enable children to do things like attend groups. Here they can take part in activities, meet other young carers and grow in confidence. They can also access 1:1 support where young carer workers will help them work through their feelings and emotions. They also help young carers access school and address any barriers to being able to flourish as a young person.
