The importance of friendship with other Young Carers
Ruby and Daisy are both 13 years old and have a caring role at home.
Ruby cares for her 9-year-old brother who has severe Autism and Daisy has a father who is an amputee and a young sister with severe brain damage.
Both young carers support their parents and siblings with physical tasks and a lot of help around the house including shopping and running errands.
School is challenging at times. When Daisy has been at the hospital all night with her younger sister she may be late for school the following day or not have finished her homework. She says her school does not understand her situation or make allowances for her caring role at home. Meeting one of Action for Family Carers Support Workers at school has made a real difference. They both have a safe place where they can discuss their worries with somebody who understands, will listen and give them time.
Both girls attend the same school but were not friends until they met at the Witham Young Carers Club. They formed a new friendship which they say is lifelong and strong due to their similar home life situations. They say they relate to each other because they face the same issues and problems that their other, non-carer friends do not really understand.
Ruby and Daisy think the club nights are a lot of fun. They love meeting other Young Carers and socialising and taking part in lots of different activities. It helps relieve the stress of home and is like having a day off.
They wish that the Club could run every week, as it currently is only funded to run fortnightly and they wish they could have more outings as these are such good fun.
If you would like to find out more about Action for Family Carers can support Young Carers, please visit here
