Keeping Up with your Studies
Teachers or tutors are not just educators but also mentors. They can be a great support system to help you get by. If you are not able to manage your school tasks, explain to your tutor what you are going through so they can be lenient with you. They can give you extra time for your coursework, partner you with another student to get you up to speed, arrange some transport or help for you to get you to your place of education on time, help you with getting financial support and much more. If you learn to communicate, the college/university can be a place where you get to feel normal and put your caring duties behind for a while.
Extra Support
Other than studies, there are a lot of ways your place of education can help. You may be allowed to use a phone during longer lectures so you can check on the person you are caring for. The institution can get you in touch with a good carer service to assist you. You can also ask for clubs or activities during lunchtime rather than after school ones, to cater to your caring duties. Other than this, there may be some troubles specific to your conditions, discussing them with your tutor can help you come up with a solution. Moreover, England-wide initiatives run by the Carers Trust and The Children’s Society are in contact with many institutions to assist young carers in any way they can.
Absences
You may believe that you must miss classes to fully care for someone. However, missing days from education might have a significant impact on your future and get you into serious trouble. So that the situation does not carry on for too long, try to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Speak to your tutor about your caring duties and the reasons you have been absent. Alternatively, a GP, nurse, or social worker can help you get more help at home so you can focus on school or college.
Help from Friends
As a young adult carer, you may not be able to enjoy your social life as much as others. You don’t have as much free time as your friends and are often occupied with stress and worry for your loved ones.
It’s critical to get the assistance you need so that you may spend time doing the activities you enjoy and socialising with your friends. Set aside some time each day, if feasible, to do something you enjoy. A young carer project or a carer’s centre in your area may be able to assist you.
It can feel like your friends aren’t going to understand your situation, especially if you have to turn down opportunities to spend time with them. Talk to them about your caring duties and give examples of the duties you undertake, this can make them understand why you’re so busy.
What to do
According to the Carers (Equal Opportunity Act) 2004, local authorities should have a protocol shared between adult and child services for identifying and assessing young carers. Therefore, if you think you are alone, you are not! There are people out there who can really help, so reach out.
