Supporting parent carers: Guidance for schools
Schools play a vital role in reaching parent carers — including those who may not yet recognise themselves as unpaid carers.
By working in partnership with families, schools can help ensure parent carers feel seen, supported, and connected to the right help. This page outlines what current guidance says about working with parent carers, what this looks like in practice, and how your school can help raise awareness and signpost families to support, including our dedicated parent carer information page.
Understanding duties and support for schools
There is a clear framework of national law and guidance that shapes how schools work with parent carers and children with additional needs. This includes the SEND Code of Practice, Children and Families Act 2014, Equality Act 2010, and Children Act 1989, which together set expectations around partnership with families, early identification of need, inclusion, and fair access to support. In practice, this often involves working collaboratively with parents, taking account of family context, and supporting children’s needs across education, health, and care.
Alongside national guidance, Oxfordshire provides local pathways and information to support schools and families. The Oxfordshire SEND Local Offer brings together key information on assessments, services, short breaks, and support into adulthood. It also connects to wider guidance on areas such as transition planning (from age 14) and access to family support, helping provide a clearer picture of what is available locally and how services work together.
Support and advice are also available to help schools navigate this landscape. This includes:
- SENDIASS Oxfordshire – impartial advice on SEND processes and rights
- Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum – insight from families and opportunities for engagement
- Carers Oxfordshire – support for parent carers, including wellbeing and carer assessments
- National organisations such as IPSEA and the Council for Disabled Children for legal guidance and training
These services can help build shared understanding and support positive, joined-up working with families.
Parents of children with additional needs are parent carers, even if they do not always identify themselves in that way. Many are providing care well beyond what is expected in everyday parenting, and this can shape how families engage with school and manage day-to-day demands. National guidance recognises the importance of working in partnership with families, valuing their knowledge, and understanding the wider context of caring. When this is reflected in practice, it can support stronger relationships, earlier identification of need, and more consistent outcomes for children.
In practice, this might look like: clear, straightforward communication, some flexibility where caring responsibilities affect availability, and parents feeling heard and involved in decisions about their child. Schools can also help families understand what support is available — such as EHC needs assessments, short breaks, and planning for adulthood — and signpost to local information like the SEND Local Offer. A joined-up approach can help make support easier to understand and access.
Young carers are children and young people who help care for someone at home. In Oxfordshire, support for young carers sits within the local authority’s children’s services, supported by national law. This means Oxfordshire County Council is responsible for identifying young carers and, where needed, carrying out a Young Carer’s Needs Assessment to understand the impact of caring on their education, health, and wellbeing.
In practice, schools are often one of the first places young carers are identified and can help connect families to the right support. This may include linking into Early Help services, encouraging a young carer’s assessment where appropriate, and signposting to local support such as Be Free Young Carers, Crossroads Care Oxfordshire, and national organisations such as Carers Trust. These offer advice, support, respite, and opportunities for young people to connect with others — alongside the local authority pathway, which remains the main route for assessment and coordinated support.
Download our resources
Everything you need to share support with families — a leaflet, poster, and easy-to-use messages for your school communications.
- Information leaflet for parents
- Poster to display on school noticeboards
- School comms messaging toolkit
Share and get involved on social media
Throughout Carers Week 2026, we’ll be sharing short videos and posts across our social media channels to help raise awareness and support parent carers.
We’d love schools to engage with and share this content to help reach more families.
If your school is doing something to mark Carers Week, please do share it on social media and tag us on Facebook (@carersoxfordshire), Instagram (@carers_oxfordshire) and LinkedIn (@carersoxfordshire), using the hashtag #CarersWeek.