Time for Me
Funding will help support Young Carers and family members to enhance the Young Carers personal development and promote a stable cohesive family environment.
Once referred, the YC is assigned a support worker who will work alongside them using support plans which will assess the needs of the YC, identifying difficulties/challenges they face as a result of caring. They will encourage positive actions/interventions in order to ensure that the identified needs are addressed/resolved enabling better life choices at an early intervention stage.
1:1 Support will give additional support outside of group activities; a chance to have a chat, provide some 'me' time and to speak openly to someone outside the family/home environment helping to build positive relationships.
The support worker will encourage the YC to be actively involved in the variety of support groups, activities and workshops aimed at improving physical/emotional health and wellbeing, giving children a chance to be children, to form friendships, to find common ground, develop skills/gain confidence in supporting peers through issues that arise, as well as celebrating the positive attributes.
Along with monthly groups and one to one support we will provide YCs with annual trips and activities during school holidays giving the YCs time out from their caring role to develop positive relationships, empowering them to make positive choices.
We will also be offering Young Carers Wellbeing Sessions (Group and One to One)
whereby our Young Carers Support Worker would deliver 4 sessions which would be approximately 1 hour per week. Each session will explore maintaining a healthy wellbeing whilst in a caring role.
Session 1 – Introduction, talk about being a Young Carer
Session 2 – Five ways of wellbeing, coping strategies and distraction techniques
Session 3 – Self Confidence and Self Esteem
Session 4 – Planning for the future, where to get support and contingency planning.
We have developed a Young Carers Wellbeing Journal (copy uploaded as a supporting document) which the Young Carers will work through during the wellbeing sessions. This will be the Young Carers to keep to look back on and help to maintain their wellbeing after the sessions have finished.
In addition to the above group sessions we will also offer one to one wellbeing sessions in schools.
These will include :
Session 1 – Getting to know the Young Carer starting to build a trusting relationship
Session 2 – Introduction, talk about being a Young Carer
Session 3 – Five ways of wellbeing, coping strategies and distraction techniques
Session 4 – Self Confidence and Self Esteem
Session 5 – Planning for the future, where to get support and contingency planning.
Session 6 – Closing session / relaxation
The idea of these sessions is to empower the Young Carer and give them the tools to continue promoting their own positive wellbeing. Each session will be filled fun activities and games as we explore different ways of wellbeing.
We hope from these sessions that the Young Carers will become friends and will have relationships with others who are in a similar situation to themselves.
After attending the wellbeing sessions and improving the Young Carers self-esteem and confidence this may encourage them to attend groups within our local communities.
Funding will also help support the YC to have better life choices, future aspirations and be emotionally stable by developing coping strategies.
What to do next
If you are a Young Carer and would like to be referred to us as to start receiving support, all you need to do is phone 01782 793100 – you can phone yourself or ask an adult to phone for you.
If you are a professional, and would like to make a young Carer Referral please click here
What happens once I am referred into the Time for Me Project?
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You will be allocated a named Key Worker who will work with you and your family to help with any problems you may be experiencing.
Together we can put an action plan in place to help with your caring role.
The support you will receive could be :
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One to one support with our Key Support Worker to chat with you to find out about your caring role and what support you would like to receive from the project.
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Or you could received invitations to our Outings and Activities Programme.
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It is really important to us that you feel valued as a Young Carer and that you don't feel alone.
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The Time for Me project is here to help you in many ways :
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To help you feel good about helping the person you care for.
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To get you the right support and educe the impact of your caring role.
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To address any problems that may arise due to your caring role having an impact on your educational and emotional development.
Support provided by the project includes :
Named Key Worker - is responsible for the continued support on a one to one basis working towards a positive outcome for the Young Carer, as well as working with the family to put into place positive actions.
Support within Schools/Colleges - Carer Awareness Sessions are available in schools to identify hidden Young Carers. One to one support is offered to discuss any issues that you may have due to your caring role. Caring can often impact on your education and progress so support is really important to reach your educational goals.
Age appropriate Training Sessions and Activities
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Age appropriate training sessions are available focusing on the needs of the Young Carers, including liaising with employers to address the barriers that Carers often face in a work setting.