“It has been fun. Super‐duper fantastic”: Findings from a Danish respite programme to support young carers

Abstract

Awareness of young carers’ experiences and needs is low on governmental and societal levels in Denmark. This article presents findings from the first evaluation of a Danish respite programme, the Buddy Programme, which aims to provide support to young carers aged 5–15 years who experience serious, chronic or mental health problems and/or death of a parent or sibling. Over a four‐six month period, volunteer students from University College Copenhagen offer young carers the opportunity of respite through participating in ordinary activities such as play and sports. In 2017–2018, based on a child‐centred approach, we conducted a qualitative study with interviews focusing on how the Buddy programme affected the children. The interviews took place at programme start, halfway through, and after completion with 22 children and 21 parents, as well as single interviews with 20 Buddies assigned to families after completion. Three main themes were identified: (1) the Buddy programme as an activity, (2) how the Buddy Programme affected the children and (3) ending the Buddy programme and wanting to continue the friendship. Our findings emphasise the importance of fun and cosy activities that provide children with respite from the serious concerns that otherwise fill the lives of young carers. Being with a Buddy created a free space, allowing children to play undisturbed and to temporarily keep concerns and a guilty conscience at a distance. By offering friendship, Buddies provided opportunities for young carers to feel special, be seen, acknowledged and taken seriously as a child with valid and specific needs and interests. Our findings may help increase awareness of the needs and interests of young carers on governmental and societal levels.

Young carers' experiences of having a “buddy” on the Buddies for Children and Youngsters programme in Denmark – A qualitative interview study

“…The interview guide was based on the methodological literature (Kortesluoma et al., 2003) and inspired by existing literature on interventions for young carers (Cunningham et al., 2017; McClatchey & Wimmer, 2012; Moore & McArthur, 2007; Nagl‐Cupal & Prajo, 2019; Wind & Jorgensen, 2020). The interview guide was pilot‐tested on a comparable target group and adjusted accordingly to ensure credibility (Brinkmann & Kvale, 2015).…”

“…The BCY programme is organizationally rooted in the Department of Nursing, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN). The programme was developed by learning from and adjusting the buddy programme in Copenhagen to the broader context of a larger city, suburbs, and the countryside in Northern Denmark (Wind & Jorgensen, 2020). The BCY programme was modified to meet the needs of the local rural environment through collaboration with municipal actors as well as other voluntary associations from local society.…”

“…However, few studies have investigated their impact (Cunningham et al, 2017;Moore & McArthur, 2007;Nagl-Cupal & Prajo, 2019;Richardson et al, 2009;Wind & Jorgensen, 2020). Only one Danish study has evaluated a respite programme for young carers, namely a study of the buddy programme carried out at the University College…”

“…However, few studies have investigated their impact (Cunningham et al., 2017; Moore & McArthur, 2007; Nagl‐Cupal & Prajo, 2019; Richardson et al., 2009; Wind & Jorgensen, 2020). Only one Danish study has evaluated a respite programme for young carers, namely a study of the buddy programme carried out at the University College Copenhagen (Wind & Jorgensen, 2020), in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, which provided support to young carers between 5 and 15 years old. The findings suggested that having a “buddy” led to positive benefits in a period of life which was filled with serious concerns (Wind & Jorgensen, 2020).…”

“…Only one Danish study has evaluated a respite programme for young carers, namely a study of the buddy programme carried out at the University College Copenhagen (Wind & Jorgensen, 2020), in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, which provided support to young carers between 5 and 15 years old. The findings suggested that having a “buddy” led to positive benefits in a period of life which was filled with serious concerns (Wind & Jorgensen, 2020). However, the buddy programme did not include young carers from the suburbs or countryside.…”