Winchester and District Young Carers (WDYC) provides support for young people aged 8-17 who care for a family member due to a long-term illness, physical disability, learning difficulty, mental ill health or addiction. This could be a parent, grandparent or sibling to whom they provide regular emotional and or practical support to. The 2021 ONS census reported that there are around 120,000 young carers aged 5-18 in England, and this is likely an under representation due to lack of understanding of the definition of a young carer and those that may not want to be identified.
In 1995 Jenny Frank MBE published a report in a book called ‘Couldn’t Care More’. It was one of the first insights into the needs of young carers and the impacts this responsibility has on their social, personal, emotional and educational development. In 1999 as a result of these findings, with the support of Hampshire County Council, The Children’s Society and Jenny Frank MBE, WDYC was set up as an independent charity and became one of the first of its kind in the country.
Over the past 26 years, the charity has been dynamic in meeting the needs of young carers across the district, initially providing respite, growing to provide advocacy, support in schools and wider family support. In 2018 it was clear that demand for the service was outgrowing the scale of the service. This inspired a restructure of the service and the staff created a bespoke young carers programme allowing the same level of support to be provided to more young carers.
Today WDYC supports up to 150 young carers each year, providing specialist programmes, one-to-one support and family events. The Exploration Programme focuses on building resilience and self-esteem whilst giving access to peer support. It includes topics such as identifying feelings, how to look after your well-being and understanding the illness, disability or addiction of the person being cared for.
The Activities programme gives an opportunity for young carers to experience new things, develop hobbies and interests, have time out and meet others in a similar situation. Young Carers have fun doing sports, crafts, drama, outdoor pursuits, cooking and more.
“I did art journalling, and it was really relieving and a nice way to vent” – young carer aged 15
“It benefitted me by knowing trying new things makes you feel more confident to do more new things” – young carer aged 10
Everything that WDYC provides is underpinned by the hard work and dedication of volunteers and the kindness and generosity of public donations and fundraising. The charity could not run without this. If you think you could provide some support, please get in touch via the details on the website below.
“Young carers have always been here, quietly getting on with balancing a caring role, education and all the challenges of being young people who are growing and trying to navigate the world. In my 16 years of working with Young Carers, I have seen unparalleled amounts of resilience, compassion and selflessness and they are my continued inspiration. I am encouraged by the growing awareness of young carers, and I hope that if there is one thing people can take away from this article it is an increased understanding that they can share with others so young carers can be identified and have access to the support they deserve.” – Anna Hamilton, Charity Manager
For more information and to view our annual impact report visit
winchesteryoungcarers.org.uk
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Winchester & District Young Carers
