Warwickshire Young Carers receives £10,000 from WPH
The WPH Charitable Trust has awarded £10,000 to Warwickshire Young Carers.
Warwickshire Young Carers provides family support, respite and transitions support and a new befriending service.
With over 1,000 children and young people on its books who care for a relative, neighbour or friend, the charity provides targeted support and respite opportunities for six to 25-year-olds who live in the county.
Services include helping to reduce inappropriate care, and a signposting service on wider services and support available, in addition to guidance and practical help in managing their education, university and career aspirations.
The charity needs £186,000 a year to meet core costs. Any extra money is used to expand its wide range of activities which can include days out, meals or bowling.
The launch of the befriending service, allows young people from isolated areas, or those who need to build their confidence, to join a smaller group. This consists of a befriending volunteer and three young carers, who meet every other week for six sessions over 12 weeks. Befrienders help the Young Carers to manage an activity budget and gives them more of an opportunity to raise any issues which can then be referred to the charity’s core team for tailored support.
For several years Warwickshire Young Carers had been commissioned by the county council.
Last year the charity took the decision not to re-tender for the contract, choosing instead to support itself through grants and donations and freeing up more time to focus on tailoring its offering to the needs of its young carers.
Latoyha Gabriel, General Manager of Warwickshire Young Carers, said: “It was a tough decision which left us on shaky ground because we no longer had the council funding. Also, our lottery funding came to an end this year – it was a double whammy with two lots of funds coming to an end which had sustained our organisation.”
“So, the money from the WPH Charitable Trust has been a real lifeline.”
She added: “Our young carers are at the heart of everything we do, and we appreciate the funding which pays for the more tangible services such as our trips and activities, but this donation will help towards running costs and salaries. WPH has helped us get to a more stable position, allowing us to now focus on raising funds for more activities and continuing to build our organisation so we can reach more of the 3,000 total number of young carers we know are in Warwickshire.”
