How did this project come about?
Young carers are children and young people who care for someone in their own home who has a physical or learning disability, has an illness, or a drug or alcohol dependency.
Carers Bucks supports unpaid carers and young carers in Buckinghamshire aged 5 – 95+. In their Young Carers Bucks programme, Carers Bucks works with young people aged 5-16 who live within Buckinghamshire and have a caring role.
“We know it’s really important to get young carers’ feedback about how our service is shaped. We’re always talking to the young people that we support, but we hadn’t done a dedicated project about seeking their views since before Covid, so we thought it was time that we did!” – Laura, Carers Bucks
Carers Bucks invited all of the young carers they support in Aylesbury aged 11- 13 to join a forum project.
The project involved 3 sessions after school on Wednesdays in October.
9 young people signed up!
What happened in the forum sessions?
Let’s Talk About Professionals
In session 1, after getting-to-know-you games, the group explored young carers’ relationships with professionals, like teachers, doctors, social workers, the Police, and paramedics.
The young people shared great insights into how some professionals positively support them, and how other professionals misunderstand them.
Young carers see themselves as much more than just carers! They want professionals and services to recognise their qualities, individuality and strengths (some of which stem from caring, but many which do not).
Using sticky notes, the young people created a Tip Jar, full of tips for teachers and other professionals! For example, “Please don’t lecture us on late homework; just remind us! We have a lot going on at home so don’t assume we’re being lazy.”
What Young Carers Want
Session 2 was all about Carers Bucks’ offer for young carers. The young people told facilitators…
- they love the supportive work Carers Bucks staff do with them around their wellbeing and understanding their caring role and identity.
- they would like more social and respite opportunities, like club nights, events, and festivals across Buckinghamshire!
The young people explained how important social and respite opportunities are to them. They allow young carers to relax from their caring role and be around other young people that understand their experiences.
The young people also shared barriers to accessing activities, such as anxiety and shyness, lack of transport, and lack of time due to too much homework and high caring responsibilities.
Skills Building
In session 3, the young people reviewed which skills they have gained through their caring roles, and which skills might be helpful to develop in the future.
The young people shared that they would be interested in gaining practical skills like…
- money, budgeting and bills
- dealing with emergencies and first aid
- applying for jobs and interview skills
- home maintenance and safety
- independent travel
They would like sessions on these topics to be interactive, practical and enjoyable!
“Young carers gain lots of adult skills earlier than their peers, like cooking, administering medications, and caring for younger siblings. We want to empower our young carers by equipping them with useful skills and tools.” – Ray, Carers Bucks
How did Carers Bucks Listen, Act and Respond?
Carers Bucks listened to young carers by setting up this forum project. In the sessions, they ran engaging activities to hear young carers’ experiences and ideas.
It was so successful that they are hoping to host a similar project again in 2026!
Carers Bucks have added the young people’s Tip Jar for Professionals to their training for school staff, so that teachers can directly learn from the young people’s contributions!
Carers Bucks will also ensure their staff use language that celebrates young carers as whole individuals, so that young people aren’t limited by being labelled as carers.
Carers Bucks are looking to further expand social and respite opportunities for young carers across Buckinghamshire through local partnerships with youth organisations.
Carers Bucks are seeking to create a Life Skills Programme for young carers, with interactive, practical and enjoyable lessons.
At the end of the project, the facilitators thanked the young people by taking them out for waffles!
Since the project, Carers Bucks have written up a report and worked with Youth Voice Bucks to publish this webpage!