Kernow Young Carers - Supporting Young Carers in Cornwall

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Green background with the word 'Barnardos' and an icon of three children holding hands above the text.

How can we help?

We provide support for Young Carers. We aim to support Young Carers to self-manage caring responsibilities, providing information, advice and guidance over the phone and working with schools. We also provide direct 1-1 work with Young Carers and Young Adult Carers as well as offering activities on a regular basis and during the school holidays.

You can refer into the Young Carers Service by completing the self-referral form below.

Videos

We are continuing to develop our Young Carers Register as part of the service Kernow Young Carers delivers. 

This is to ensure you can be easily contacted and have information to enable Cornwall Council, Kernow Young Carers and other services to support you in the best possible way. 

By being on the register you will then be eligible to receive a Young Carers card which can be produced and used in many instances e.g. school, GP, pharmacy etc to show that you are a Young Carer. 

Going forward, we hope to add benefits from local and national businesses that you can access by showing your Young Carers card. More information around this will be sent out to you as benefits become available. 

If you wish to be added to the Young Carers Register and receive a Young Carers Card, then be sure to contact us via the Advice Line or via the email below.

As always, you can contact us through the Advice Line on freephone 01736 756655, by emailing kernowyoungcarers@barnardos.org.uk.

Group of five young adults sitting on a ledge outdoors, laughing and smiling, with trees and a clear sky in the background.

Young Carers Register

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Lea and Louise attended Duchy College Rosewarne freshers fair.

This was part of our efforts to raise awareness of Young Carers and Young Adult carers, and the impact a caring role can have on accessing education. We were pleased to meet some young carers who were already registered with us, and help four young people to recognise they were in a caring role and can register with us.

“A couple of the young people who stopped by told us they knew of people who had a caring role, or that they used to have a caring role in the past. It's great news that there is awareness of young and young adult carers.“

Dame Rachel de Souza, Childrens commissioner for England. Advocating for identification & support for young carers in schools. 

This year is the first year Young Carers have been included in schools census data and UCAS applications. 79% of schools who participated in the school census reported that they had no young carers. In Cornwall, 370 young carers were identified by schools who participated in the census. We know the figure is much higher, Kernow Young Carers has around 1400 young carers registered and we estimate there are still many hidden young carers. Kernow Young Carers are working closely with schools to raise awareness and improve recognition of Young Carers.

Indoor conference room with a large audience facing a stage and screen, featuring a woman speaker, a blue presentation slide reading 'How can we do better?', and banners with 'Carers Trust' logos.
A CPR training class with mannequins and AED trainers on the floor, where students are practicing rescue techniques.
White van with green signage for First Aid Cornwall parked near a gray building with a green wall and a blue event poster in Cornwall, UK.
Children participating in a first aid or CPR training session, with one person lying on the floor and others assisting and observing.
A group of people participating in CPR training indoors, with one person performing chest compressions on a mannequin while others observe and wait their turn.

Kernow Young Carers and First Aid Cornwall delivered First Aid training to Young Carers, who may use these skills to care for someone at home.

First Aid Cornwall included content around seizures by request from the cohort of young carers. The first aiders facilitated supportive conversations around responding to convulsions, which helped our young carers feel confident about their response.

Some Young Carers shared their firsthand experience of calling 999 to report their emergency and First Aid Cornwall used this real experience to guide the session. It was a supportive and open session, where young carers were able to share personal experience and feel safe and understood each others caring role.

Kernow Young Carers – Schools Help & Resources

Our aspiration is for every young carer to have access to the same opportunities as their peers, feel safe and understood in school. Here is how we can help you achieve that:

We can support you to apply for a Carers community Grant Grants — Cornwall Carers Service to help you set up and maintain a young carers group in your school. Your school is able to apply for a set up grant of up to £500 and a sustainability grant of up to £1000. Other schools have used it for refreshments, wellbeing boxes, arts and craft activities and support towards attending the young carers festival in Southampton.

We have resources for your notice boards, including awareness posters for both professionals and young carers, and a short training presentation for staff. All of which supports your journey towards achieving the young carers in schools award. Whether or not you work towards the schools award, the following resources will be invaluable to the young carers and staff in your school.

Click below to read the latest KYC Newsletter

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