Space to be a child: Kavli Trust supports young carers in Newcastle

Kavli Trust has awarded NOK 842,000 to Newcastle Carers for a pilot project providing structured and individual follow-up for young carers. The aim is to break patterns of exclusion and mental strain by reducing the burden of care and helping children manage school and everyday life.

A responsibility children should not have to carry

Carrying significant caring responsibilities as a child can lead to worries and pressures that affect school, leisure time and wellbeing. In Newcastle, many children and young people care for parents or family members with illness, disabilities, substance misuse issues or mental health challenges.

Through the pilot project Young Carers Support in Newcastle, Newcastle Carers will provide support to 120 young carers aged 5 to 18, with measures tailored to each individual’s needs.

Putting children’s needs at the centre

The project will test a model of so-called mid-level support: a framework of between four and twelve sessions per participant, based on a statutory assessment that determines how much support each child requires. Children’s goals and needs form the basis, and support is tailored through personal action plans developed in collaboration with family, school and local health and social care services.

Measures may include support for education, guidance on practical or financial matters, and assistance to take part in social activities.

“Many young carers take on significant responsibility at an age when they should have freedom and security. This project gives them the opportunity to reclaim their everyday lives and to live fully at school and in their free time, while being seen, guided and supported,” says Ingrid Paasche, Chief Executive of Kavli Trust.

Mapping needs and action through joint efforts

A key element of the project is to assess the caring burden experienced by the children. In collaboration with social services and healthcare services, Newcastle Carers will consider which tasks and pressures can be reduced, and which measures can be introduced to relieve the child.

This work will contribute to better coordination of support around the family and help ensure that children are not left with responsibilities that can be handled by adults or public services.

Learning that can help more people

The project will run from November 2025 to November 2026. The work will be monitored and evaluated throughout, and the learning from the pilot will be shared nationally through professional networks, webinars and conferences. The aim is to increase knowledge about young carers and raise awareness in local communities of the challenges they face.

Giving back where value is created

Kavli Trust owns and distributes all profits from the Kavli Group to charitable causes, with most funds going to projects in Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, where Kavli has production. In North East England, Kavli UK produces, among other things, the well-known Primula cheese. Kavli Trust therefore supports a number of charitable initiatives in the region.

Facts: Young Carers Support in Newcastle

Kavli Trust has awarded NOK 842,000 to Newcastle Carers for the period 2025 to 2026.
The funding will be used for salaries, administration and equipment related to supporting young carers.
The pilot project provides support to 120 young carers aged 5 to 18, with between four and twelve sessions per participant, based on a statutory assessment that determines how much support each child requires.
Each child receives a personal action plan, developed in collaboration with family, school and local health and social care services.
The aim of the project is to strengthen mental health, wellbeing and educational attainment among young carers, as well as to map and reduce the caring burden through collaboration with social services and healthcare services.
The learning from the project will be shared to support the further development of work with young carers.