Bristol’s hidden network of young carers

Everyday Drew Hailing-Biggs helps her mum to care for her younger brother Euan, who has severe global delay.

She helps to do the washing, cleaning and tidying. She helps give her brother his medication, checks that he’s okay and keeps him company. She helps him with eating and drinking, and helps him to get dressed and with lifting him.

Drew is just 14-years-old and is one of hundreds of young carers, aged between five and 17-years-old, in Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

“It’s nice to know that you’re helping but it’s hard sometimes,” say Drew, who lives in Frenchay.

“The hardest thing is that you have to be more grown-up than you really want to be. I feel that I’m more mature and understand more than a lot of my friends.”

It’s a situation that 22-year-old Carina Andrews who lives in Fishponds identifies with all too well. She has been a carer since she was five-years-old but “didn’t identify with that label for a long time”.

“My mum fell ill with mental health issues when I was just five-years-old, so I began helping out more at home doing things such as cleaning and cooking.

“My sister was born around this time so I also began to look after her as well, but I thought that was just a normal part of growing up.”

While her family bonds are strong Carina herself started to struggle: “Mum has up and down days so sometimes she needs more support than others, but my focus has always been on other people in my family. I’ve learnt how strong I can be, but being a carer from such a young age has been difficult.

“My school attendance suffered, and I didn’t have a strong network of friends so sometimes I felt very isolated and as though I didn’t have anyone to talk to about my problems.”

More and more children are finding themselves as young carers according to census figures. In 2011 there were 16,118 unpaid carers aged five to 17-years-old in the South West; 4,225 more than the 2001 census which was the second highest increase in the UK.

Charities also warn that these figures probably mask the true numbers of young carers, as many children don’t see themselves in a caring role.

But Clare Hanson-Kahn, from the Carers Support Centre, says the impact on young carers lives can be immense: “They miss lessons at school and struggle to keep up with school work, they miss out on time to play, see friends and leisure activities.”

Children can also suffer physically and psychologically; often finding themselves isolated and lonely, with injuries from heavy lifting, lack of sleep and poor nutrition.

Carina said she had “reached breaking point” when she discovered the Carers Support Centre based at the Vassall Centre.

The centre runs the Young Carers in Education programme, which provides awareness training, education and support to 32 schools across Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Drew has been getting support from the centre for the past 18 months: “They really understand how it is for you,” she says and she has been able to access support and take part in activities geared towards young carers.  

Carina has also managed to get her life back on track: “I’ve recently given up my job to care for both parents now, as it was difficult to juggle both. I’ve continued to access support, which has made things a bit easier and I finally feel like I have a life outside of my carer role.”

“I hope that by talking about my own experiences [during National Carers Week] I might encourage others to come forward – there’s a whole support network out there so don’t let things get to crisis point.”

Read more: Young homeless in Bristol