South & Vale Young Carers Project are co-ordinating a ‘Home From Hospital’ project within Oxfordshire hospitals. There are an estimated 11,000 young carers across Oxfordshire and a recent BBC survey of 4,000 schoolchildren revealed that one in 12 has caring responsibilities.

If this reflects the UK as a whole, it would mean there are about 700,000 young carers in the UK.

Young carers care for members of their family who may have a physical illness or disability, a mental health problem or are dependent on drugs/alcohol.

Caring can be a very long-term commitment for many children and can start at an early age and, to make matters worse, 56 per cent of young carers live in single-parent families.

The ‘Home from Hospital’ project aims to raise the awareness of the issues facing young carers amongst hospital staff and to help prevent young people from taking on inappropriate caring roles when family members are discharged from hospital. Hospitals included in the project are the John Radcliffe, Churchill, Horton, Nuffield Orthopaedic and the Warneford. Ward briefings have been taking place and booklets have been produced specifically for hospital staff to: increase their knowledge; help them identify young carers; and highlight the support on offer. Young carers’ leaflets have also been made available on all hospital wards with information about young carers’ services in Oxfordshire.

This project was instigated when schools in the South & Vale started to contact the Young Carers Project asking for help, as many young people have not been attending school (some for several weeks) as they have been staying at home to care for members of their family.

The ‘Home from Hospital Project’ concludes at the end of March and special ‘hospital packs’ for young carers who attend/visit their family members in hospital will be available from the end of February.

Young carers packs will be available from the ‘PALS’ (Patient And Liaison Service) offices in the hospitals.

If you are a young carer that needs support contact the following Young Carers Services directly:

  • South & Vale Young Carers’ Project — 01235 510212, carers@svcarers.org.uk
  • Oxford Young Carers’ Project — 01865 205192, youngcarers@carerscentre.co.uk www.coolyoungcarerscare.com
  • Spurgeons Young Carers’ Service — 01865 309602, kwalsh@spurgeons.org.