During Children's Mental Health Week ( 3-9 February 2025) we hear from some of the organisations who are helping young carers through access to a short break
Children's Mental Health Week is a mental health awareness week that was launched by children's mental health charity, Place2Be. The week exists to empower, equip and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK. The theme for 2025 is Know Yourself, Grow Yourself, with the aim to equip and empower children and young people across the UK to embrace self-awareness and explore what it means to them.
Young carers face a huge array of challenges as a result of their caring role. The Carers Trust annual young carer survey repeatedly shows many young carers are disadvantaged across multiple aspects of their lives, including mental and physical health, finances, education and employment.
There are over 8,000 young carers in Wales under the age of 18, with some as young as five years old. The Short Breaks Scheme is supporting many of them to benefit from a short break. Of the young carers who responded to our survey in the Interim Short Breaks Evaluation, only a quarter of them have accessed a short break from elsewhere in the last 12 months.
For most young people, home is seen as a break from school, but for many young carers, it is the other way around. Once back at home, they may be caring for a sibling or a parent, doing the housework, cooking dinners, and often providing emotional support.
The Honeypot Children’s Charity focusses on young carers under the age of 18 with approximately 50% of young carers supported aged 5 to 12 years, a group that is hidden from society and care support. In the first six months of their Short Breaks project, hundreds of young carers benefited and enjoyed a well-deserved break from caring responsibilities.
They tell us about one young carer who has benefited from the Short Breaks Scheme:
Leah-Rose, aged 7, helps care for her mum, Sally, who has multiple seizures a day. She helps with everything from opening wrappers to helping her to dress. She is a major emotional support and always there when mum needs her, her rock! She has struggled with coming to terms with having a disabled parent, and is often bullied by her peers. She became very reclusive and struggled with school and socialising. On her first break to Honeypot Children’s Charity, Leah made friends and enjoyed lots of fun activities, like crafting and making pizzas and swam for the first time. She also found a place where she could relax and be herself.
The Short Breaks Scheme project run by Action for Children offered young carers from Ynys Môn and Gwynedd small grants of up to £50 to be used on a short break that suited their needs and interests.
Katie Roberts, Children and Families Practitioner from Action or Children says, “Short breaks offer young carers the freedom and space to rest, as an individual or as part of a wider group where they can meet up with others. They are more likely to feel less isolated and more likely to make new friends in the young carer network as they come together to experience fun new activities.”
Katie says, “This project gives young carers a break from pressures and conflicts at home, and ensures they feel like they have the right to, and less guilt about, taking short breaks from their caring roles.”
Thank you so much. Something like this may seem small to other people but to me and my family it meant a great deal
– Young Carer
Young carers can often remain hidden from society. Not only is the Short Breaks Scheme offering young carers a break for their caring responsibilities, but it is also playing an important role in helping them to get the wider recognition, help and support they need.
Becky Evans, CEO of Credu tells us, “The Short Breaks Scheme has been a step change. It has been hugely important to young and adult carers who have benefited. It has allowed them to experience being valued, prized and appreciated through having their contribution to their families, communities and society recognised and affirmed.”
It is now well-recognised, that being outdoors and in nature is so good for our mental health. No one knows this better than our delivery partner, The Outdoor Partnership. It is helping young carers to enjoy some exciting activities, like windsurfing, paddleboarding, bushcraft, rock climbing and mountain biking.
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