SWAFFHAM PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOOSES YOUNG CARERS CHARITY AS 2020 GOOD CAUSE

7th Feb 2020

Swaffham Primary Academy School Council choose Caring Together as their nominated good cause sm

Children at a Swaffham primary school have chosen a charity which supports young carers as the school’s nominated good cause for 2020 – and are now embarking on a year-long programme of fundraising activity to support the work it does.

The decision to support Caring Together was made by the school council at Swaffham Primary Academy – a body made up of representatives of each class in the school.

Caring Together fundraising manager Nicky Newton attended a meeting of the school council to thank the children for their decision to support the charity – and together with colleague Belinda Jones addressed a whole-school assembly about the challenges faced by young carers.

The charity supports family carers of all ages across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk, including offering one-to-one support for carers in schools, operating after-school clubs for young carers, and helping bring a measure of normality into their lives.

“The last ten years have seen an 83 per cent increase in young carers of primary school age,” said Ms Newton. “On average there will be six young carers in every classroom, although many would not identify themselves as such.

“Having caring responsibility at that age can have a profound effect on a young person, and our role is to offer support to try and make their lives as normal as possible. Often carers of primary school age slip under the radar, so a big part of what we do is raising awareness of what it is like to be a carer at such a young age.

“If we can lay the foundations for support for young carers at the primary school stage, then we can lessen the negative impact of having caring responsibility throughout that young person’s childhood and beyond.”

Swaffham Primary Academy deputy head teacher Louise Wright said, “It is really positive that the decision to support Caring Together came from the children themselves via the school council, and we are very much looking forward to a year of activity to raise both funds for the charity, and awareness of the issue of young carers within the school community.”