Young carers: Callum is just 11 years-old, but already '˜man of the house'

In many ways Callum Filkin is a typical 11-year-old. He loves sports, and playing his guitar, ukulele and violin. But unlike many of his friends, he has an extra responsibility - caring for his brother Alfie, three.

Callum, from Cross Hills near Keighley, is one of around 20,000 children across Yorkshire - some as young as five - who are supporting their parents or siblings with an illness of disability.

North Yorkshire charity Carers’ Resource fear the official figures could just be the tip of the iceberg, with the true number of young carers being much higher - and is marking Young Carer Awareness Day, held today, by rasing awareness of the daily challenges these youngsters face.

Playing out with friends, going on trips and to the cinema are some of the things that most young people look forward to, but for many young carers their reality is cleaning, shopping and cooking instead.

As many as eight in 10 are missing out on childhood experiences, according to new research unveiled today.

For Callum and his mother Lisa, 45, the help of Carers’ Resource allows him to do some of these everyday activities sometimes taken for granted by other families, away from his caring role.

His younger brother Alfie has Down’s Syndrome and a heart defect which means he needs to be fed through a tube into his stomach. Callum’s role includes helping his mother to change Alfie’s dressings, to bring him his medicines, and to help keep Alfie calm when he gets distressed, as well as looking after Alfie with brother Zachary, eight, so Lisa can get on with everyday tasks, such as getting dressed.

And as “the man of the house” one of Callum’s weekly jobs is putting out the bins.

“It’s a bit hard being a young carer as you’ve got to do all these things that you may not like, but it’s what I do – I just get on with it,” he said.

“I’m a young carer and I’m proud of it. I have to help, so I do. People who know me know I’m a young carer and I get respect for it – my best friend says I’m a good person.”

Alfie’s difficulties mean he’s been in and out of hospital, and there will be more to come next month, when his feeding tube will need to be re-fitted surgically.

The strain of Alfie’s condition has an emotional affect on Callum, who says he thinks about his youngest brother “all the time”.

“Once when we were going swimming with school I saw an ambulance go past and I got really upset. I thought it must be Alfie because he was really poorly at the time,” said Callum.

“When I’m at school, when I’m out, I always think about him and I hope he’s OK.”

Attending Carers’ Resource Young Carers service in Skipton has given Callum the chance to try lots of different activities away from home, including climbing, raft-building, swings, caving and the zip wire.

“It’s good to be with kids who are going through similar things. I don’t have to explain it to them,” he said. “But I don’t feel like I’m missing out – I do the young carers stuff, go to youth club, play football and go to the cinema with my friend,”

For former nurse Lisa, the support Callum has from the service has been “wonderful”, especially knowing he is surrounded by people who understand.

“When he’s talking to some of his friends at school they don’t really understand what’s going on and how Alfie’s health, him being in and out of hospital, can have an impact on his life, and what it entails,” she said.

Finding the time to do things together as a family, such as going swimming or going to watch a film, can be difficult, Lisa said. But the support of friends also helps.

Lisa said: “We have a good support network of friends – you know who your friends are when you’re going through times like this – so we always have someone who can help look after Alfie if I need to take Callum or his brother Zachary somewhere.”

Tonight, Callum will be among a group of young carers, aged between five and 17 from North Yorkshire, who will grill a panel of influential figures to promote greater understanding of their needs so they can live a full life just like their friends.

The panel, made up of key decision makes in the town, will include Harrogate councillor David Simister, who sits on North Yorkshire County Council’s health scrutiny committee; a representative from Harrogate College and others.

Representatives of Carers’ Resource, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, will also share their expertise on subjects ranging from careers information and finance advice.

Chris Whiley, director of the Carers’ Resource, which has a network of offices in Harrogate, Ripon, Skipton and Bradford, said: “Their caring role never stops – whether they are at home or at school – and neither does the burden of worry that they shoulder.

“Today provides a perfect opportunity for us to reach out into the community and demystify who young carers are, what invaluable work they have to do – and what they are missing out on in childhood as a result.”

She added: “By increasing public awareness of the plight of these ‘hidden heroes’ in our community, we hope more children and young people with caring responsibilities will be more easily identified and helped, along with their families, and get in touch with us.”

Young carers who want to find out more about the wide range of specialist help and support that is available can contact the charity on 01423 500555, send an email to [email protected], or visit www.youngcarersresource.org

Young carers in numbers

According to the Carers Trust, eight out of 10 young carers are missing out on their childhood while many cannot finish homework on time.

The charity spoke to 360 young carers and found 60 per cent missed attending events and other activities while 45 per cent struggled to get their homework done on time.

Eight out of 10 young carers carried out caring duties every day, while half were responsible for handing out medicines to loved ones.

Almost a quarter of those surveyed were caring for more than 20 hours a week, and 41 per cent were helping with personal care such as washing and dressing.

Almost a third were looking after an adult with mental health and substance misuse issues.

Gail Scott-Spicer, chief executive of the Carers Trust, said: “Playing out with friends, going on trips and to the cinema are some of the things that most young people look forward to, but for many young carers their reality is cleaning, shopping and cooking instead.

“Young carers are constantly burdened with the worry of what is happening to the parent or sibling they care for at home. Their caring role never stops - whether they are at home or school.

“As part of Young Carers Awareness Day, we want as many people as possible to help identify and raise awareness of young carers and the invaluable work they do.

“We want these children to be able to live a full life, like their friends, which means they won’t be missing out on their childhoods - getting the help and support they desperately need.”

According to the Carers Trust, 68 per cent of young carers are bullied at school.

Four out of ten have not informed their teacher or a member of staff that they are a young carer, and 27 per cent of young carers aged between 11 and 15 say they have missed school or experience educational difficulties due to their caring role.

13,000 of the UK’s young carers care for over 50 hours a week; while young adult carers aged between 16 and 18 years are twice as likely to be not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

The BBC estimates there are 700,000 young carers in the UK, while the Carers Trust says there are a further 350,000 young adult carers aged 16–25.