Supporting Young Carers in Scouting

Led by Sarah Jane Dickinson (Education Officer – Cheshire Young Carers)

Cheshire Young Carers support children and young people aged 6-18 across Cheshire who care for or live with a parent or sibling suffering from a physical disability, mental health problems or substance misuse.   Recent research on the estimated number of young carers in schools shows there are likely to be 22% of pupils who could be young carers with 32% of these children likely to be providing “high levels’ of care. This means that across Cheshire there are potentially 37,000 young carers (children aged between 6-18).

This session with show Leaders in all sections how to spot ‘hidden young carers”, how to start a discussion with children about their caring role, how to provide positive support to a young carer and how Scouting can help transform their lives. These children can be socially isolated without friendship groups, very few outlets from the caring role and with limited self-confidence. Scouting can help build resilience but more importantly can give them back their childhood.