Interview: Protector of young carers
Janaki Mahadevan
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Carole Cochrane, chief executive, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
After more than 14 years working for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Carole Cochrane was appointed as the group's chief executive at the end of last year.
With 11 months' experience as acting chief executive behind her and much of her career dedicated to providing support and services for carers, Cochrane is well placed to meet the challenge ahead.
Personal experience has also given her a natural empathy for those who care. "As a 27-year-old mum of four - including twins - my husband was diagnosed with cancer and I was thrown into the life of a carer," she explains.
The trust is the largest provider of support services for carers in the UK, offering information, advice and support to more than 20,000 young carers.
Challenges faced
As the charity's former assistant director of operations, Cochrane is acutely aware of the challenges that face the trust in the coming year. "My main role will be to keep the show on the road by securing funding, communicating with the government and working with our strategic partners," she says.
With the group currently working on its operational plan for 2009/10, Cochrane says her main priority is to make sure the focus on young carers does not slip off the government's agenda. "We will have to work extra hard in the current economic climate so this area does not slip down the list of priorities. Raising money this year is also going to be a massive challenge," she says.
Although Cochrane recognises positive steps being taken to provide support for young carers, she believes there is more to be done. "Sometimes young carers choose not to put themselves forward, so it is important that schools, GP surgeries and other agencies are aware and do what they can to help them through things like bullying policies, homework support and after-school clubs," she says.
More also needs to be done to support carers with their education, including reassuring them that aspiration is not a bad thing. "One way is by working with the government to ensure young people are not penalised for being a carer," she says. "Currently, young people who are studying more than 28 hours cannot get benefits - this needs to change to make allowances for carers."
Whole-family approach
A welcome step for Cochrane is the shift towards a whole family approach, as seen in the £16m family pathfinders initiative announced last May. This aims to improve the co-ordination between adult and children's services to support families at risk.
"A main aim for me is to reach a situation where no young carer has to provide inappropriate care and that all have access to appropriate support," Cochrane reveals.
"If you ask a young person they usually don't want to completely stop caring. What they do want is to provide a level of care that allows them to keep the parent-child or sibling relationship and also keep their childhood."
During her tenure at the trust Cochrane says the experience of trying to affect change at policy level has become more positive. "I worked on the previous carers strategy 10 years ago and since then I have noticed a big difference. The government is much more engaged and also there has been a shift to health, addressing the needs of carers too."
"The Department of Health guidance last year was a first good solid step in taking things forward. But there is always more that needs to be done. It is important we now look at whether it is appropriate for young people to be going with their parents to the doctor or getting medication. We are currently working in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners on this."
But the overall result Cochrane says she wants to witness is ensuring the label "carer" does not restrict children from their childhood.
"I never thought of myself as a carer, I was a wife, and children often see themselves just doing what anyone else would do. We want to see them as children first, not young carers."
YOUNG CARERS - The difficult role they play
- The 2001 Census indicated there were 139,000 children and young people in England providing some care to family, friends or neighbours
- Typically, a young carer will be a young person providing care to a lone parent who may be either physically disabled or experiencing mental health problems
- Research suggests that as many as 27 per cent of young carers are experiencing problems in attending and achieving at school
- Many young carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, but regard themselves as getting on with something anyone else would in the same situation.