Carer Support Eden - Young

04/03/2026

Are you a kinship carer in Westmorland & Furness?
Your voice matters, and Westmorland & Furness Council wants to hear from you.
The council is developing a new Kinship Care Local Offer, and they’re asking for feedback from anyone with experience of kinship care, including:
Grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, step relatives
Family friends or others caring for someone else’s child
Children, young people, or adults raised by kinship carers
This includes those involved in:
• Informal kinship care
• Private fostering
• Kinship foster care
• Special Guardianship Orders (SGO)
• Child Arrangements Orders (CAO)
Your insight will help shape better support for kinship families across our area.
📋 Share your views in the short survey:
👉 Kinship Care Feedback Form: https://forms.office.com/e/YDC7T5433j
📱 Or scan the QR code on the poster below.
Please share with anyone who might like to contribute.

04/03/2026

Please see the two webinar dates for parents, carers and family members who are supporting children through exams this year.

19/02/2026

Young Carers Fun!
Our Young Carers had an amazing time on their visit to the Inflatable Zone at Penrith Leisure Centre!
The group bounced, raced, and explored every corner of the inflatable course, and the huge slide was definitely the biggest hit of the day! 💛
It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying a well earned break and having so much fun together.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this trip possible.

18/02/2026

What a Fabulous Day at Bendrigg Trust!
Our Young Carers had the most amazing day at Bendrigg Trust, filled with adventure, laughter, confidence building, and new experiences. We are so proud of every young person who took part — the smiles said it all! 💛
A huge thank you to Bendrigg Trust for providing such an inclusive, supportive, and exciting environment. Your team always goes above and beyond, and it means the world to our Young Carers.
We’d also like to give a big thank you to Fellrunner Bus for transporting everyone safely and comfortably on the day. Your support helps make days like this possible. 🚌💙
We’re already looking forward to the next adventure!

18/02/2026

We’re really pleased to share details of a special event designed for Parent Carers of children and young people with SEND. It’s a welcoming space to connect with others, share experiences, and enjoy some time together.
Our Support Coordinator Steph will also be at the event. She is really looking forward to meeting Parent Carers, having a chat, and offering support throughout the day. 💛
Please take a look at the information below. We hope you can join us — it would be lovely to see you there!

✨ SEND Local Offer Drop-In - Penrith! ✨

Coming up on Tuesday 24th February, the Westmorland and Furness SEND Partnership are hosting another SEND Local Offer Drop-In session at our Penrith Family Hub.

If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), you are more than welcome to come along to meet the teams and services and ask them any questions you have!

📍Penrith Family Hub
📅 Tuesday 24th February
🕧 12:30pm-2:30pm

11/02/2026

EBSA – Not Refusal, Illness
(Template email In comments - for schools in England only )

Imagine if home was making a child this sick.

Imagine an 8 year old child who cries every morning.
Who clutches their stomach in pain, who has been awake all night. A child that physically vomits from anxiety. Who hyperventilates, hides, pleads not to go.

Imagine a child who self-harms during meltdowns. A child who pulls their hair out. Who can’t sleep
Who lives with constant nausea. A child that is visibly deteriorating-physically and mentally. A child who was once full of spirit, is now withdrawn and hardly speaks.

If this level of illness was happening at home, the response would be immediate!

There would be safeguarding referrals, social care involvement, multi-agency meetings. Urgent assessments would be undertaken and that’s because a child being made this unwell by an environment - is not acceptable.

Now change just one thing.

The illness is being caused by school.

Suddenly, the narrative shifts.

The child is expected to tolerate it there and the parent is often blamed…
“You’re too soft” “they need to learn to be resilient” “perhaps you have anxiety and it’s rubbing off on them”.

Suddenly attendance becomes the priority - not health.

Parents are told to be firmer & to push through or they may be fined. They’re told to physically get their child there even if they’re in pyjamas or being sick.

Let’s be clear:

If a setting is making a child physically and mentally sick, that is a serious concern (regardless of where it happens) Education is not supposed to damage a child’s physical and mental health.

And by the time action is taken, the harm is already entrenched. If a child has to become ill in order to access education, that education is not suitable (section 7 of the education act)

This is not school refusal.This is not a parenting failure. This is a child whose health is being compromised.

We need to stop asking, “How do we get them in?”
And start asking, “WHY is this making them sick?”

Love,
Leigh

11/02/2026

Need support with your mental health and wellbeing?
Young people across the North West can access Kooth — a free, safe, and confidential online mental health service.
📱 Scan the QR code to learn more and see the latest February 2026 updates, resources, and support options available.
💬 Kooth offers:
• 24/7 access to a supportive online community
• One to one chats with qualified practitioners
• Helpful articles, journals, and wellbeing activities
• A completely anonymous space to seek support
🌐 Empower yourself or someone you care about — help is just a scan away.

05/02/2026

Does your business need office furniture?

Eden Carers is selling off surplus desks, chairs and storage units from their Penrith office, so if you're in need please contact them directly for more information and to arrange a viewing.

📍 The Office, Mardale Road, Penrith, CA11 9EH
☎️ 01768 890280

04/02/2026

📣 Office Furniture for Sale - Penrith
We have a range of office furniture available, including:
• Desks (various sizes)
• Tall storage units
• Metal filing cabinets
• Office chairs & meeting room chairs
• Smaller items such as letter racks, bins, and more
Everything is located in Penrith.
📞 To arrange a viewing, please call: 01768 890 280
Feel free to share!

28/01/2026

Understanding Emotional Based School Avoidance - for any parents/Carers interested, an online support group will begin on the 3rd of February, 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Contact John Harrington at [email protected] for more information or to book your place.

23/01/2026

Free Gym Membership for Care Leavers in Westmorland & Furness!
If you’re a care-experienced young person aged 18+ living in Westmorland and Furness, you could access FREE gym, pool and fitness classes through the Passport to Leisure scheme!
This offer is available across:
• Eden: Penrith, Appleby
• South Lakeland: Kendal, Ulverston
• Furness: Barrow
How to sign up:
For Eden & South Lakeland locations, simply register through the Better App using the Passport to Leisure page.
For Barrow, ask your PA to email a referral letter to:
📧 [email protected]
and cc: [email protected]
You’ll then get access to all facilities at Barrow Leisure Centre.
If you need more information, contact:
Lynn Almond [email protected]
📞 07764 705126
A fantastic chance to stay active, build confidence, and enjoy local leisure facilities for free!

13/01/2026

Young carers face huge obstacles in combining their caring role and achieving their best at school.

They are much more likely to be regularly late for school and hand in homework late than their classmates. Subsequently they are much less likely to go on to university.

Our Young Carers in Schools programme helps schools identify and support carers by sharing good practice, providing tools and training, and rewarding good outcomes for young carers.

The programme is currently in action within 650 schools and helping almost 10,000 young carers.