Secondary school pupils share powerful stories of caring responsibilities

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter 

Secondary school pupils who care for family members have given a presentation to councillors.

The pupils from Cwmbran High School were invited to read a Christmas poem at Torfaen Borough Council’s December meeting but instead read out examples of how their caring responsibilities impact them.

They said they are among 42 pupils at the school identified as having caring responsibilities ranging from supporting parents or siblings with physical disabilities or impairments, illness and mental health.

Pupils said how they carry out tasks from shopping to cooking for their whole family to helping their parents manage medication.

One said: “Being a young carer makes me feel important but it is difficult to make friends as they do not know how I live.”

Another said they were “proud” to be a young carer for their younger brother but said: “It makes me sad when I see my brother in pain and my mum struggling.”

Cwmbran High offers a young carers club that meets at lunchtimes and after school to offer activities and pupils said they aren’t given “late marks” if caring responsibilities “hold us up in the mornings”.

The pupils also said they visited the Houses of Parliament as a group where they met Torfaen MP, and government minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds as well as taking a cruise of the river Thames and going on the London Eye.

Councillors were also reminded young carers do not receive carer’s allowance and a pupil said they should have more support and there should be more funding for schools to provide activities for them out of hours.

Cllr Richard Clark, the Labour cabinet member for education, thanked the pupils for their presentation and said: “It would have been delightful to have a Christmas poem but what you presented was so powerful and it brought the issues to life.”