Young carers’ support saved after local concerns are heard
Proposed cuts to young carers’ groups and the Young Carers in Schools programme have been withdrawn after families and local organisations raised concerns.
Somerset Council had been considering withdrawing funding from young carers’ groups and the Young Carers in Schools programme. We learned about the proposals just 24 hours before the deadline for submitting public statements and questions to the council’s Executive Committee.
We know how important this support is. Our 2025 report, Who cares? Hearing how caregivers view available support and resources in Somerset, highlighted the challenges young carers face and gaps in the support available to them.
As Somerset’s independent health and social care champion, and a member of the Carers Strategic Partnership Board, we submitted a statement raising our concerns about the proposed cuts.
We could not present our statement at the meeting because all the available speaking places had already been filled. Clare Rendell, Governance Specialist at Somerset Council, confirmed:
We will include your submission in the published public speaker list, which will be distributed to all councillors, and we will get a written answer for your statement.
Other organisations also raised concerns, including Somerset Parent Carer Forum and Carers Trust. Representatives from both organisations attended the meeting.
At the Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday 7 October, the council confirmed that the proposed cuts had been removed from its Medium-Term Financial Plan Update for 2027–28 to 2031–32.
Councillor Heather Shearer, Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, told BBC Somerset:
This particular stream of potential savings has been taken off the table quite definitively.
This is welcome news for young carers and their families. It also shows why it is important for people and organisations to speak up about services that matter to them.
Further information:
Download our statement of concern, or read it below.
