• Moray Carers Project Education Support Workers (Jacky and Theresa) come to schools and give talks and presentations about what it can be like to be a Young Carer and how this might affect you in school or college. We like to try and get a Young Carer to come along and talk to people your own age about,” what life’s like for me.” (If you want to volunteer for this please contact us we’d love to hear from you)

• Moray Carers Project think it is important for everyone to understand what being a Young Carer is about, how it’s not the same for everyone –we’re all different and so is a caring role! We talk about the good and the bad of being a Young Carer and where and how we can get support for you. IT’S UP TO YOU TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS  So if you see us in school and we don’t talk to you – it’s not because we don’t want to talk to you, we just need you to speak to us first!  
  

• Drop In sessions at lunch times for Young Carers/young people in  secondary schools in Moray. Moray Carers Project holds Drop In sessions for young people and school staff in secondary schools. These sessions are your chance to meet other Young Carers, do homework and talk about anything at all, whether it is school related or not – it’s a chance to get something off your chest! You may want to share good news – you passed a NAB or you may want to tell us about a problem.  YOU DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN AT THE DROP IN - THEY ARE YOUR SESSIONS
  
  What you say to us stays with us – unless we think you are in danger or you tell us it is ok to tell someone else who might be able to help you. Other pupils are welcome to come along and we can also pass info to school staff for you. Perhaps you or someone you know is being bullied? Tell us and we will let your school know for you. We have links with all sorts of others who can support you and can put you in touch with them. Maybe you think you are a Young Carer, please come and chat to us we can help you find support.

• Support Young Carers to raise issues with school, Social work, school nurses and other support systems. You can choose whether you want to talk it over with us first, have us come with you to talk to your teachers, or have us tell them for you.
• Highlight issues that Young Carers may have with Guidance staff e.g. bullying, homework problems etc.
• Peer support sessions on a weekly basis with Gordonstoun school (a sports evening using Gordonstoun‘s facilities and their Community team of pupils). You can ask to come along to this group. We usually work it so you come for the whole term. It gives you a regular break on Tuesday evenings; you meet other Young Carers and have some fun.
• Provide a listening ear to Young Carers, pupils and school staff.
• Signposting to other agencies including Quarriers, Social Work, YPAC etc
• 1:1 meetings with pupils to discuss progress and/or issues affecting them at school
• Listen to your views and consult on what you want to happen for Young Carers. We will pass on your views to schools, the Council and the Scottish Government.
• A Termly Newsletter to tell you what’s happening and about any activities we are running.

• Take Young Carers to the Scottish Young Carers Festival to have their say with decision makers and have fun with Young Carers from all over Scotland. See link for last year’s Festival bebo page

• Activity based peer support sessions, in school holidays –fund raising permitting. For example, at Easter 2010 the activities we held ranged from a day learning new skills at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness doing drama, film making, sound workshops and street dance as well as outdoor activities including bushcraft and archery.  

• Run age appropriate awareness raising sessions for pupils and/or staff. Moray Carers Project Education Support Workers visit schools throughout Moray and give talks and presentations about what it can be like to be a Young Carer and how this might affect a young person in school or college. Presentations are given to education staff giving examples of how being a Young Carer can affect schooling e.g. having enough time for homework, being late into school/college The sessions for staff can be delivered on In-Service days or as part of regular staff meetings. Please ask – we will try and fit in with what you need.  
• Currently classes for pupils are delivered to secondary school pupils in S1 through their PSE classes and in primary school through a mixture of class work and assemblies (depending on the schools size and needs). Schools are receiving presentations on an annual basis on dates agreed with Guidance or Head teachers at the end/start of the school year. We are flexible and will speak to any class or group.  In Primary schools we have delivered to class groups or assemblies, depending on the size of the school. Some secondary schools choose to have us deliver to all school year group assemblies or to classes doing specific topics, for example Children’s Rights or we have talked to pupils about what its like to do our job as part of experiencing the world of work. Please ask – no matter how quirky, we’ll consider it!

• Sharing information on registered Young Carers, whom have given consent for their school guidance staff to know they have a caring role. With consent from Young Carers and their family, we will let you know who the Young Carers are in your school. We will not discuss who they care for or why, without their permission. All that is passed on is that the pupil has added responsibilities. It is up to them how much they are willing to share.  
• A referral system for pupils you may have concerns over.  
• We take referrals of Young Carers you think may benefit from joining our activities – whether you think they are having problems or as a pat on the back, say for improved attendance.
• Attending parents evenings – we can come along to parents evening and other events and set  up a stall to raise awareness of Young Carer issues and that  help and support available through school

Moray Carers Project are members of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance and the Northern Network. We attended meetings to keep abreast of local, regional and national Young Carer issues and work.