Meet Sarah, who supports young carers at East Sussex College Group
This month we’re speaking with Sarah Brackenridge, Go Further Liaison Coach at East Sussex College, to find out about her role and how she, and the college, support young carers...
What does your day-to-day role involve Sarah?
It’s incredibly varied. In a nutshell I provide one-to-one support to any student who might face barriers to learning, remaining in college or progressing. This can be down to a whole range of factors. I support care experienced students, students with medical or mental health challenges, students with challenging backgrounds and young carers.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
The first time I meet most students they are typically at quite a low point. Many feel that they can’t envisage a clear future, have doubts about being able to complete their course and some even have anxieties about getting through each day. It’s rewarding to see them reach milestones they never thought they’d reach. They are so resilient and courageous and it’s amazing to see them realising over time just what they’re capable of.
What are some of the key challenges that young carers face when they are at college?
There are so many. Many are juggling enormous responsibilities and finding the time to complete work to deadline can be a real issue, particularly if they are caring for siblings as well as parents. There can also be feelings of guilt. Many young carers are so hardwired to care that they feel guilty spending any time focusing on themselves.
Completing vocational placements or work experience can also be an issue as placements typically demand new timetables and many young carers just don’t have the flex to be able to accommodate that.
If you were advising other educators what would be the single biggest challenge for young carers you would tell them to be aware of?
One of the biggest issues is that the responsibilities young carers are juggling can be completely hidden, especially if a young person wants them to be. Many young people see going to college as a chance to reinvent themselves and choose not to disclose their caring responsibilities. It’s so understandable, but can cause real problems as what they’re juggling makes it almost impossible to complete college without a network of structured support being in place.
To overcome this, it’s important that colleges openly publicise their support and the fact that it can be accessed completely confidentially. It's also important to have one point person that young carers know they can talk to and who can co-ordinate all their support.
What other practical tips would you give to educators looking to support young carers?
It’s worth taking the time to have a conversation with a young carer in which they map out (as far as possible) what an average week looks like. This really helps identify potential pinch points. For instance, if a young person is taking siblings to school each morning they’ll struggle with early starts in their timetable. It’s also essential that every one of their tutors is aware of their situation so can build flex around deadlines and policies such as not looking at phones. Many young carers have to be contactable at all times and might have to occasionally duck out of a lesson to take a call. The more understanding there is around that, the more comfortable they will feel.
Where possible – and if the young carer is happy with it – it’s also useful to involve the family in conversations so that everyone in the young person’s life is fully aware of all the demands being made of them – at college and at home.
And what advice would you give to young carers themselves?
I’d give three key pieces of advice. The first would be to make people aware of the full extent of the responsibilities you’re juggling because then your college can create a tailored programme of support that will make your life so much easier. Secondly I’d say keep talking. The responsibilities you are juggling are frequently more than most experienced adults could cope with so it’s essential that you can offload and share your stress. Finally, I’d say, don’t underestimate yourself!
Whilst it’s incredibly challenging being a young carer, the skills you gain as a result of your experience put you streaks ahead in many ways. You’ve had to be resilient, independent, empathetic and resourceful and all of those skills will be really valued in your future life by universities or employers. What you do day-to-day is amazing. So believe in yourself and if you feel comfortable doing it, share your experiences when you’re applying for places or roles, because they’re so relevant.
To find out more about Sussex Learning Network's work with young carers visit our dedicated Young Carers project page or email our Programme Manager, Debra Vice-Holt.