Dave - Young Carers Administrator Expand David has been working at Signpost Young Carers for 15 years and provides administration support to all other workers. He is responsible for database management, compiling statistics, organising groups and making initial contact with families. He also leads several wildlife walks a year for those with a need to get away from their caring role and enjoy the great outdoors.
Katy - Young Carers Manager Expand Katy has been with our Young Carers service for over 15 years. Katy’s background is in youth work and adult mental health. Katy manages the day to day running of the service, including securing grants, managing the team, and raising awareness of the needs of young carers across Adult and Children services. Katy also has regular face to face contact with young carers and their families, and the most enjoyable part of the year for her is the annual trip to Hebden Bridge, where she and her co- worker Jude are in charge of the all the cooking for over 30 young carers!
Jude - Young Carer Family Link Worker Expand Jude has been working for the Young Carers Service for 13 years, she is one of the family workers and has a social work qualification. Her role in the service is to carry out the assessments and look at offering a service to Young Carers. She meets with parents and young people and supports them in a variety of ways such as housing, mental health appointments, parenting support and referrals to other agencies. She is also a mentor for social work students that have placements at Young Carers and is responsible for keeping them on track and helping them through the placement. She loves working for the Young Carers and their families as there is something different every day and they keep her on her toes!!
Jeanette - Young Carer Family Link worker Expand Jeanette has been with the service for 10 years and is a Family Link Worker which involves working closely with the family as a whole. Jeanette helps families to get the right support, which includes referrals to outside agencies and involvement with TAC meetings. Jeanette also offers practical support such as helping parents attend medical appointments, help with benefits and offering emotional support.
Hannah - Primary School Liaison Worker Expand Hannah Thompson is our Primary School Liaison worker. She supports schools in achieving the Young Carers in Schools Award, provides staff and governor training, and delivers assemblies and PSHE lessons. Hannah is training to become a play therapist and uses a wide range of 1:1 techniques with Young Carers who are in need of support. She can aid schools with various resources, especially those who wish to facilitate Young Carers groups themselves. She is a keen baker and enjoys running baking, food and crafting activities in our drop in sessions, which run over the school holidays.
Jennifer - Secondary School & College Liaison Expand Jennifer is our new Secondary School and College Liaison for Signpost. Jennifer has a background in Education and has recently completed her degree in Education Studies. Jennifer has been volunteering with Young Carers for over a year now and is very keen to work in partnership with Schools and Colleges to raise awareness and support Young Carers. If you would like to contact Jennifer please email Jennifer@signpostforcarers.org.uk.