Young carers

At Fairholme, we are very aware that some of our children take on caring duties at home for other family members. A young carer is someone aged 18 or under who helps look after a relative who has a condition, such as a disability, illness, mental health condition, or a drug or alcohol problem. Most young carers look after one of their parents or care for a brother or sister. They do extra jobs in and around the home, such as cooking, cleaning, or helping someone to get dressed and move around.

We work closely with the Hounslow Young Carers Project, and some of our children run their own Young Carers group in school. Our staff and Governors are committed to ensuring children who are caring for others have space and support to achieve their full potential at school. For some Young Carers, school can be a place where they can forget about their caring responsibilities and feel "normal" for a while. But it can also be a place where they feel under extra pressure or where people don't understand what life is like outside school. It can sometimes be hard to juggle responsibilities as a young carer with the demands of teachers, friends and homework. By running a Young Carers group in school, and by having trained mentors on our school staff, we aim to support Young Carers in ways that feel appropriate for them.