19 December 2013
Looking After Mum
We know that Christmas and New
Year can be particularly difficult for people living with mental
health problems.
But the burden on young carers can also be particularly heavy at
this time of year, especially if they feel they are bearing that
burden alone.
A new AWP film featuring two plucky young carers from Bristol -
16 year old Naz and 20 year old Carina - is aiming to let other
young people know about the support that is out there.
Working with mental health worker Simon Smith from the Bristol
intensive team and film maker John Thompson, Naz and Carina have
made a film reflecting on their experiences and encouraging other
young people to join local young carers groups and to ask for
support and advice.
The film, Looking After
Mum, is available now on the AWP YouTube channel and is
being used and circulated by Bristol Black Carers and Carers
Support Centre Bristol. The local media - The Post and BBC Radio
Bristol - are also publicising the film in the run-up to the
festive period.
Simon said, "Although this is a particularly poignant time, this
is a film for all seasons, not just for Christmas. Young carers
often fall through the gaps - they feel alone, that they are the
only ones in their situation, and they don't realise that help and
support is available to them. Naz and Carina both speak incredibly
eloquently and positively about their experiences - we hope that
the film will encourage many more young people who have parents
with mental health problems to come forward, get help and join
groups where they can get peer support, make friends and actually
have the kind of fun they should be having at their age.
"The film will also be useful for staff who want to get young
carers more involved in informing their mum or dad's care, and for
encouraging parents with mental health problems to talk more openly
with their children. I would ask colleagues across the Trust to
encourage service users and their children to watch the film."