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“Indigo stops you feeling isolated. It makes you feel special and confident. You are no longer a reject. You are part of something.” Young carer at one of Indigo’s afterschool clubs As one of 14 young carer services that we run across the country, Indigo, based in Ilford in East London, demonstrates the strength of our commitment to supporting children and young people with caring responsibilities. We need your help so that we can continue to offer the 55 local young carers attending Indigo the counselling and advice they needed to cope with the pressures they are under. They will also benefit from the essential learning and self-development opportunities that will help them to keep up with school, thereby ensuring that the disadvantages they face as young people do not continue into adulthood.
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Young carers are people under 18 who look after a sick or disabled relative, usually a parent. There are estimated to be 175,000 young carers in the UK and almost 45,000 young carers in London. The heavy emotional and time pressures that young carers are under are a major threat to their social development and educational attainment. Their daily responsibilities often interrupt their schooling; and, even when they are able to attend, constant worries about the person they are caring for often make it hard for them to concentrate. These pressures risk condemning young carers in London and elsewhere to an unfulfilled and marginalised existence later in life. Indigo is our main young carer service in the London area. As well as meeting young carers’ emotional and personal needs through counselling and advice, Indigo also supports them to ensure that they do not miss out on school. Indigo also works closely with young carers’ families to help resolve problems that their families are encountering. ‘When I first came…..I was scared…me and mum were worried that if we asked for help, social services would split us up. You soon realise that it’s not about separation, it’s about keeping families together by offering help with care….’ Paul (15) Indigo’s main activities focus on the twice-weekly afterschool clubs, where young carers have a rare opportunity for a few hours of much-needed free time and where those struggling at school can receive help with their homework. There is also an active mentoring and school holiday programme where young carers are able to benefit from a range of learning, arts and other recreational activities. Last year saw the start of Indigo’s monthly “Sixteen Plus” group, where carers aged 16 and over have an opportunity to look at issues that are going to affect them as they move into adulthood. They also have the chance to take part in activities that can help to prepare them for adult life. We need to raise £100,000 to support young carers at Indigo and to try and reduce its waiting list. It will ensure that young carers’ own needs are not overlooked and will mean that we can continue to have a real and positive impact on their lives and prospects.