Supporting and providing a break for between 100 and 200 young carers in Southampton
The Southampton Young Carers Project and Next Steps is part of Southampton Voluntary Services. They support 8-25 year olds who are caring for one or more family members i.e a sibling, parent or grandparent. The service provides respite opportunities through one-off activities, targeted workshops and residential breaks.
Why the community needs usWe make a difference to the lives of young carers in Southampton as well as their families by improving their opportunities to access services, education and fun activities. We look to improve their health, well-being and prospects in life and achieve greater things as well as provide opportunities for better understanding of the issues they face and skills to deal with them.
Our impact on the communityWe frequently see an improvement in the self-esteem and confidence of the young people accessing our project as they realise they are not alone with the issues and worries they deal with on a daily basis. We see an improvement in school attendance due to the impact of school support workers. We find many of the young people impove their often difficult relationships with their famiily members due to their own issues and problems associated with growing up and seeking independence.
Our volunteers can help support us in a variety of ways: attending a fortnightly evening group, attending activities, workshops and residentials, becoming a befriender in a 1:1 support role, admin support in the office. We prefer our volunteers to have had experience of working with young people and are subject to CRB checks. We recruit new volunteers at specific times of the year so if you interested in volunteering for the Young Carers Project then please look at www.do-it.org.uk for more info
