Funding from Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership boosts MCR Pathways mission of ensuring every young person has someone to find their path, through the power of mentoring.
The pilot project will support young carers aged 12 to 20 years from across the city to overcome unique barriers to sparking their potential by providing a trusted adult to build confidence, awaken ambition and overcome unique challenges to pursue brighter futures.
What is a young carer?
A young carer is someone aged under 18 who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. There are many different ways a young carer provides support to loved ones – from practical tasks, personal and physical care, emotional support, to caring for siblings and managing households.
Whilst providing this support to their loved ones is crucial, it can adversely impact young carers’ education, social activities, wellbeing, and pathways to expanding horizons and realising potential.
For instance, research has shown that 89% of young carers report that caring negatively affects their emotional wellbeing, compared to 74% of adult carers (Carers Census, Scotland, 2020–21), over 45% of young adult carers have a mental health problem (Carers Trust) and young carers are almost twice as likely to be severely absent from school (9.3% vs. 5.2%) (Carers Trust, 2024).
Moreover, young carers are 38% less likely to obtain a university degree compared to peers without caring responsibilities (UK Parliament Committees, 2023), almost one in four young carers say there is no support for them in their school, college, or university, and fewer than half of teachers feel their school provides the support that young carers need (Carers Trust, 2024).
In Aberdeen, it is estimated that over 2,000 young carers live in the city, yet only 135 are known to dedicated support services – a striking shortfall in visibility and access. Moreover, a recent survey has shown that 68% of young carers in the city feel unsupported in their role.
Feeling unsupported, unseen and unheard, particularly at times when there’s lots of change, can lead to disproportionately poorer outcomes for this group. It can also lead to isolation from peers and social groups, emotional distress, continued disadvantage and withdrawal from opportunities to pursue brighter futures.
MCR Pathways has operated in Aberdeen since 2018, delivering group work and relationship-based mentoring. Last year, over 6633 volunteering hours supported 745 young people in 16 schools.
MCR Pathways’ young carers pilot will run for the next year and will see its award-winning, relationship-based mentoring programme provide a trusted adult to help up to 55 young carers, aged 12-20, to navigate challenges, build a sense of self-belief, identity, and aspiration.
The charity is working with young carers and partners to co-design a bespoke mentoring model based on lived experience and local nuance which will see trusted consistent support delivered in spaces where young carers are most comfortable and familiar.
The model aims to reach young carers who may presently not be attending school, may be carrying out the role of a young carer and not realise this, and who are from marginalised communities, finding themselves in the critical gap between young and adult carer services or navigating complex family circumstances.
The pilot aims to make a meaningful contribution to the Aberdeen City Carers Strategy 2023-2026 in promoting practical, relational support that helps young carers stay connected and lead fulfilling lives – balancing caring with interests and ambitions, education, and employment preparation:
- Reducing social isolation and promoting inclusion.
- Delivering person-centred, individualised support.
- Support to navigate crucial life transitions.
- Enhancing access to education, employment and training.
- Raising community awareness of carers’ rights and needs.
MCR Pathways’ mentoring model is planned to commence from November and run until the pilot’s completion in September 2026.
Gavin Jardine – MCR Pathways Head of Schools North Scotland said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for MCR Pathways to deliver our proven mentoring programme across our city to young people who we may have otherwise not reached through our established school based model. We aim to reach every young person that needs us, wherever they are, and this project will support us greatly in achieving this.
“Working alongside our valued colleagues in the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, and those in the Carers Strategy Implementation Group, I am more than confident that our MCR Pathways mentoring programme will, through our mentors, increase the confidence and communication skills of young carers we reach, improve their chances of a positive destination after school, and greatly enhance their life chances.”
We still need more volunteers to sign up and become the trusted adult who will help lead young people to brighter futures. Sign up as a mentor here: mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor
