PROJECT
Young Carers in Focus
FUNDING
About £300,000 a year over four years from the Big Lottery Fund's Youth In Focus programme
BACKGROUND
The Children's Society has run an annual Young Carers Festival since 2000, in partnership with YMCA Fairthorne Manor. It enables 1,500 11- to 17-year-olds to get together and socialise at the same time as voicing their opinions on issues that matter to them. But it became clear young people wanted this to continue beyond the one-off event.
ACTION
The Children's Society went on to establish a network of "young carer champions" to advocate for their peers and influence policy makers. The first of these were recruited in May 2012. The next step was the creation of Makewaves, a social networking site, developed by social enterprise DigitalMe, to enable young carers to connect with each other and the wider world.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
