THE HONEYPOT CHILDREN'S CHARITY
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Mission Statement
Very few services exist for young carers. Of the few organisations that do support young carers in the UK, we are the only service that offers consistent outreach support and respite breaks, between the ages of 5 and 12. Without Honeypot, many of these children would have nowhere else to turn: Since 2010, government funding to children’s services has fallen by a third. Currently, the support we give young carers has never been more vital. Official figures suggest there are 195,000 young carers in the UK, but it is more than likely there are many more from families that do not come forward or others being misrepresented – a BBC survey in 2018 estimated the number could be as high as 800,000. Young carers can find it hard to relate to their peers, struggle to concentrate in school and have little time to play with friends and take part in after-school activities. A survey in 2013 found young carers at GCSE level attain nine grades lower than average (the difference between 9Bs and 9Cs).
About This Cause
The Honeypot Children’s Charity is the only charity in the UK that provides vital annual respite breaks, ongoing outreach services and a range of other support services for young carers between the ages of 5-12. These are selfless children who are the main carers in their household, caring for sickly and disabled parents and often younger siblings too. We know from a recent report carried out by the BBC News and Nottingham University that there are as many as 800,000 young carers in the UK ages 5-18; Honeypot’s age group (5-12) account for as many as 300,000. Hundreds of thousands of these young carers carry out onerous duties for as many as 30 hours a week with some caring for 50 hours. Many of the care duties these children provide are carried out alone and are of a nature that government legislates children should not be doing, such as administering medicine, attending to the personal hygiene needs of an adult, heavy housework, lifting, heavy shopping. There are well documented and researched negative consequences of a child carrying out such caring duties, which include: - anxiety, stress, mental health problems, poor self-esteem, low confidence and poor education performance. 38% of all young carers suffer from Mental Health Issues, young carers attain on average nine GCSE grades lower than the national average and 37% are NEETS (not in education, employment or training upon leaving school). Social isolation and poor social skills are common amongst young carers and the level of bullying experienced by young carers is extremely high. As all the children are referred to Honeypot by Children’s Agencies, including School Welfare Officers, Social Workers, Local Authority Care Organisations and GP’s. Honeypot supports the most vulnerable children in the UK. Amongst the Honeypot children, poverty, deprivation and mental health problems is high. Honeypot directly addresses the profound health and education needs of the children it helps in several impactful, life changing ways: - Respite Homes Honeypot provides respite breaks for over 1,000 children each year, in our spectacularly beautiful homes located in the New Forrest and Mid Wales, with a third home under development in Central Scotland. Both of our homes are set in seven acres of breath- taking countryside, where children can breathe fresh air, and engage in a wide range of stimulating outdoor and indoor activities. Children often first learn to swim in the Honeypot pools plus they get to explore the great outdoors and build dens in the woodlands where our homes are situated. They also engage in arts and crafts in our modern art studios and acquire logical and reasoning skills, through play in our well kitted out Games Room. Here children make lifelong friends, de-stress, build self- esteem & confidence and experience the only break they are likely to have all year round. Outreach Services Honeypot provides engagement days throughout the year for 2,500 children at centres located within or near their own communities. Here they form new friendships, and more importantly become part of a support network as they often reconnect with thus strengthening their year-round support. Social and Emotional Active Learning (SEAL) Honeypot provides 30 hours of active learning breaks where young carers complete an accredited SEAL course that develops confidence, self- esteem and resilience. These active learning experiences are a life- line for the children. Tailored Learning Honeypot provides tailored learning programmes to address the life inhibiting issues that young carers face. We provide, for instance, anti- bullying programmes were young carers learn to recognise when they are being bullied, who to report it to, how to report it, where to get help and how to make it stop. A department of education study found that the incidence of bullying is five times greater amongst young carers than in the general population, while the Carers Trust’s research identified the rate of bullying as 80%. Digital Inclusion Honeypot is currently developing an out- of- hours moderated chat room and online platform for young carers that they can join to receive the help and support they need from an on-line child counsellor. This will be an invaluable tool to assist in coping with their often-overwhelming care duties. The online platform is being developed with social connectedness in mind, to create the peer network where young carers can support each other, share ideas and connect with friends. This service is being developed in response to the young carers overriding expressed need, which is to have more adult time and adult support. Transition Programme The period of transitioning from primary school to secondary school can be a worrying time for all children, but much more so for young carers, who worry about how they are going to cope with the greater time demands of secondary school and at the same time cope with their care duties. Honeypot has formed a two-year partnership with a sister charity called CHICKs where in the first year Honeypot runs a programme for 11- and 12-year olds to prepare the children for transitioning to secondary school. In year two CHICKs continues this support for Honeypot Transition Programme Graduates. Please watch our brief 2-minute video that gives an insight into the difference Honeypot makes to the lives of young carers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRr-IykqcYA&feature=youtu.be Many thanks for your time, please do let me know if you require any further information. Looking forward to hearing from you in due course.