Young people with caring responsibilities and/or impacted by substance misuse in the family are a very hidden group and often experience many negative impacts on their education, health and development as a result of their caring responsibilities / family situation.

We coordinate a network for schools that are keen to develop their identification and support for young carers and young people affected by familial substance misuse. We use this network to share information and we hold meetings every term to discuss ideas and share good practice.

The schools that are involved find the network really useful and their involvement has led to a vast increase in the number of young people identified whose family situation was previously unknown to the school, with targeted interventions leading to significant improvements in attendance and attainment.

The network meetings are a chance to share local and national developments and best practice and also include interactive training for school staff, to gain skills in delivering awareness-raising and support activities for pupils in their schools.

Alongside the meetings, being in the network gives you access to a wide range of resources and information, such as template assemblies, lesson plans, and identification tools.

To find lots of other resources to support young carers and young people affected by familial substance misuse, click here.

We can also support schools to achieve their own nationally-recognised ‘Young Carers in Schools’ Award which allows schools to gain recognition from leading charities for their good practice and ability to meet the needs of young carers. Using a comprehensive and accessible framework for developing a whole-school approach to identifying and supporting young carers, schools can access an online toolkit. The Award consists of two levels – an Award and Award Plus.

If you are a Sheffield Children’s University (CU) school, find out how to offer young carers in your school CU credits for their learning through caring here.

If you have any questions about any of this, please contact our Education Development Worker Shuna Beckett.

For more information about our network, view our new ‘Join our Schools Network’ resource and to get access to free resources and training, meetings and updates, join our schools network by signing up below.