Young Carers - Wiltshire Voices
Monday 30th January 2017
On Young Carers Awareness Day,Tuesday 26th January, four Wiltshire young carers were featured in a video commissioned by Wiltshire Council. The video was shown as part of an awareness raising initiative by Spurgeon's children's charity at The Atrium, County Hall,
Also during the day one young carer, Archie, spoke on BBC radio Wiltshire. Archie (10) from Devizes looks after his mum who has Fibromyalgia that causes chronic pain across the body.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04nf6tz
(go to 1hr 29mins to hear Archie)
Official figures show there are 16,118 young cares in the South West region, but Spurgeons believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.Jill Bourne, Spurgeons Children's Services Manager in Melksham, said: "It's vital that we raise awareness of the issue of Wiltshire's hidden young carers so they can get the support they deserve. If they don't receive support, they are more likely to have lower attendance at school as they get older, are more likely to experience issues with drugs and substance misuse and mental health issues."
