Fife Young Carers

Wed, Oct 23rd 2019 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

Claire Simpson explained the support given to young carers in Fife

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“ Who cares for the carers”?, could be the question you ask, when more families than ever, have a young person caring for the needs of a parent or other relatives.

Claire Simpson of Fife Young Carers was the speaker at St Andrews Rotary Clubs recent lunchtime meeting. Claire is responsible for the support given to the adult carers, who are between 16 and 25. There are currently at least 500 carers in this category and probably many more.

Support for young carers, who are trying to cope with school and/or college work, presents a serious challenge, when the home circumstances can be difficult.

1-2-1 sessions are aimed at supporting young adult carers within education. In these sessions the carers have the opportunity to talk about themselves both as a carer and as a pupil and explore how they can balance this with their own aims and goals.

As well as 1-2-1 support, the service run monthly meetings, offering various workshops from cooking and budgeting to mental health first aid, for example.

Following a lively Q and A session, Rotarian Bill White, in his VOT, paid tribute to the valuable work being carried out by Claire and the service. Adding that he hoped the clubs ongoing support for this service, in a number of ways, helped to “Care for the Carers”.

The Rotary Club of St Andrews has supported young carers for many years with special treats to a few of them. The kindness of the management of the Scores Hotel also gives a free special lunch to about 30 young carers from the local area.

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