MVC earns Young Carers Silver Award
23rd November 2016
Melbourn Village College has received further recognition for its efforts in making sure students don’t miss out on education because they are young carers.
They have earned a silver award from The Young Carers in Schools programme – just eight months after gaining the bronze award.
Assistant Principal John Barnes, who has responsibility for inclusion, said: “We are delighted to have won a silver award for our work with students who are young carers.
“Young carers are not always identified quickly enough and as a result may have to overcome barriers that other non-carers will never have to experience. This award has shown that at Melbourn we are able to identify and support all students, not just academically but as a whole person.”
The Young Carers programme helps primary and secondary schools improve outcomes for young carers and Melbourn have in Caroline Deadman their own Young Carers Champion on site to work with the college’s young carers.
She said: “I am thrilled that we have received the Young Carers Silver Award. The backing our young carers receive allows them to feel supported, understood, heard and acknowledged.
“Staff and students are more aware and have a greater understanding of the responsibilities these young people face, often on a day-to-day basis and I feel proud to be able to help and support them in building the resources we can offer them at Melbourn Village College, knowing that is has such a positive impact on their wellbeing and sense of being understood.”
To achieve their Silver Award, Melbourn, the first school in The Cam Academy Trust to gain this recognition, demonstrated that it supports young carers in many ways.
These included building on the bronze award achievements to:
- Establish firm links and create a working group to support young carers
- Be aware of difficulties young carers face regarding attendance and put supportive measures in place to assist them
- Ensure all the school was informed of young carers support through assemblies, form time and Personal Social, Health Economic Education (PSHEE) lessons
- Provide support and information to families through various methods of communication
- Ensure all staff have received and will receive ongoing training to support young carers
- Include young carer identification in the school enrolment process and include in transition phases
- Create a Young Carers policy, including the students’ views
- Effective and updated signposting to young carers support available in and out of school
- Building links and relationships with external support for young carers in catchments
Gail Scott-Spicer, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, said: “Schools play a vital role in a young carer’s life, but many care for relatives without their teachers even knowing what they do. On average young carers will miss half a day of school each fortnight as a result of their caring role, so the steps schools take to identify and support them can have a huge impact on their learning, wellbeing and life chances.”
Jenny Frank, young carer programme director at The Children’s Society, is confident that the Young Carers in Schools Programme will bring about national change. “This is a giant leap forward in the way schools can make sure no child misses out on an education because they are a carer,” she said. “Importantly, we are not just telling schools to improve, we are giving them a clear set of steps to help them improve their support systems, and then recognising the work they do with young carers.”
The programme is open to all schools in England and to sign up schools just need to visit www.youngcarersinschools.com
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