YOUNG carers are being encouraged not shun their education as there is a wealth of support out there to help them manage their responsibilities to loved ones while furthering their own skills.

Young adult carers are people aged between 14 and 25 years old who provide regular and ongoing care to a family member or friend. Many young carers are often left to struggle with their education without anyone knowing the difficulties they face.

But ahead of the new term beginning in September Swindon College has been working extensively with Swindon Carers Centre towards the achievement of the Young Carers Award and the development of a Student Wellbeing Centre.

With more than 50 known young adult carers at the college, Swindon College wants other young carers to seek the support, a short chat to tell someone they care for others can help the college understand an individuals’ situation and put simple measures in place to make learning easier.

Julie Wheeler, Swindon College student support officer, who works in the Student Engagement Team and is the Young Carer Lead, explained how communication within the college is key for students to achieve a balance between caring and learning. “Young carers are encouraged to seek support due to the open culture of talking about caring,” she said.

“The internal website at the college for students now includes a section specifically for young adult carers, which includes young carer information and an appointment system where 1:1 sessions with myself and the other member of the engagement team can be arranged. There are also links to the Swindon Carers Centre website and the young carer registration form, which will entitle individuals to further information, support and the opportunity to attend social activities for young adult carers.

“As part of the induction process, all new staff at Swindon College are now delivered a young adult carer awareness session delivered by the Safeguarding Coordinator.”

The college has plans to further expand the support. A campus Student Wellbeing Centre is set to be launched which will host all the support services a student can access under one roof, and will become an inclusive base for young adult carers.

One young carer who has benefited from the support at Swindon College is former student Leah Baker. The college organised a week work experience at Zurich.

Swindon Carers Centre provided funding for Leah to purchase everything she needed for the week, including a bus pass, lunch and new work clothes. This work experience enabled Leah to develop her CV with new skills. Based on advice from Zurich, Leahs’ CV now also includes her young carer role as it demonstrates invaluable skills to employers, such as commitment, maturity and responsibility.

During this week, Leah also attended an interview skills workshop. All of this would not have happened without the full support from Swindon College. Leah has now finished college and has secured full time employment. She remains in contact with Julie and said she continued to feel supported.