A YOUNG man who takes care of his mum and younger brother is working to have a young carers policy rolled out in his school.
Harry West, 15, of Park Avenue, Cudworth, has spent the last five years taking care of his mum who has physical difficulties, and his younger brother, who has arthritis and emotional difficulties.
Harry helps his mum, Jane, with household work and getting dressed, and assists his brother Charlie, 13, with his physical needs.
As a young carer, Harry was referred to Barnardos, a charity that supports young carers by running drop-in centres where they can take a break and meet other young carers, give young carers advice and emotional support through counselling sessions and help the family get support from social services.
Realising the lack of support in schools for young carers, the Outwood Academy Shafton student decided to set up a young carers hub in his school, and he met with the chief executive of Outwood Academies to discuss rolling out a young carers policy across the Outwood Academies.
Kate Hensby, lead facilitator at the Young Carers service in Barnsley said: “We have been supporting Harry for five years and he is passionate about making sure that young carers have a voice and they are supported.
“He is very proactive to make changes especially in schools and we commend him for this. To Harry, it’s not about what he is going through, it’s about making sure that others are OK. He could see that there was a need to support young carers and the lengths he is going to to implement these changes are very selfless.
“We decided to put Harry forward for a Young Champions nomination because he goes above and beyond to support others and he always puts other before himself. He also volunteers with us, supporting other young carers and his selfless attitude is commendable.”
Harry’s mum, Jane West said: “Harry has been amazing over the last few years, he sees himself as the man of the house. Although he has this responsibility he does not let this stop him from achieving so much in his extra curricular activities. He volunteers at Barnardos, he is part of the air cadets and he is also part of the Duke of Edinburgh awards. He is always on the go.
“He never complains about the things he has to do and he is so selfless, he always makes sure that everyone else is OK before himself. It’s brilliant to hear he has been recognised.”
