Young Carers Awareness Day highlights challenges facing carers as young as 5

by Oliver Kemp

Children as young as five are caring for their parents, a Medway charity has revealed.

Looking after an unwell family member can be an emotionally-challenging experience, especially if the carer is still a child.

Keanna-Jai has been helping to look after her parents for the past three years
Keanna-Jai has been helping to look after her parents for the past three years

Beth Love is the young carer and young adult care team lead for Carers First.

The 42-year-old said: "There are a lot of reasons why a five-year-old would be classed as a young carer, not least because they might have a parent with substance misuse or a mental health problem.

"This means they could be in a caring role which they can't manage particularly well."

The charity has four support workers on hand to offer advice and additional support to young people caring for family members in the Medway area.

Keanna-Jai Power is only 12-years-old, but has been helping to look after her parents for the past three years.

The Strood Academy student said the responsibility can often be difficult to deal with.

She said: "Sometimes I struggle with going to sleep at normal times.

"I worry about my mum, and sometimes I don't want to go to sleep in case something happens."

Her mum Jo suffers with poor mental health, so Keanna-Jai has to be on hand to support her when things get tough.

She said: "I help her by doing the chores, like cleaning and picking up my younger sisters from school.

Beth Love (pictured bottom right) at the Colyer Fergusson Charitable Awards evening last year
Beth Love (pictured bottom right) at the Colyer Fergusson Charitable Awards evening last year

"When she's upset I help her calm down as well because don't like seeing her in a bad state."

Keanna-Jai's dad is disabled and suffers with a bad back, so her mum has the job of caring for him on a daily basis.

The 12-year-old helps look after her parents along with the help of her older sister Kaitlyn, who is 16.

Keanna-Jai is one of more than 10,000 young carers in Kent and is supported by Carers First, which offers her one-to-one support with one of the four support workers.

The charity also organises trips out and experience days, to give children a break away from their caregiving roles.

A group of young carers on a day out organised by Carers First
A group of young carers on a day out organised by Carers First

It's estimated there could be as many as 30,000 hidden young carers in Kent who are not getting the support they need, while 39% told a survey nobody at their school was aware of their caring role.

Carers First also said 1 in 20 children miss school because of their caring role.

Children who are taking on a caring role can have responsibilities such as cooking, shopping and cleaning to administering medicine.

The support can also take on a more emotional role, such as calming down a family member who is distressed.

For more family-related news and events for Kent please visit www.mykentfamily.co.uk

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