A determined young carer has overcome difficulties at secondary school and gone on to achieve huge success in her further education.
Maddison Stewart (16) from Perth cares for her younger sister Katori (7) who has autism and complex needs.
Growing up has not been easy for Perthshire teen Maddison who supports her sister to get dressed, does her hair and gets her breakfast. She also often drops her off and picks her up from school.
Maddison helps out with cooking and cleaning around the family home and plays games with her sister in the evening.
When Katroni was born, doctors were unsure if she would walk unaided and Maddison would support her to use her walking frame. Her sister can now walk unaided, though uses a wheelchair for longer distances.
As well as being a young carer, Maddison has her own learning support needs which caused significant barriers in her schooling.
In primary she was diagnosed as having dyslexia and dyscalculia and during her transition from primary to secondary she received a diagnosis of ADHD before receiving an additional diagnosis of autism a few years later.
Her learning difficulties were not always supported in a way that met her needs and as a result of the lack of appropriate support, it had a significant impact on her mental health.
In early 2020 the teen was referred into PKAVS education attainment service for young carers (EASYc) to get some support with English and math. Maddison felt school had “written her off” academically but she was determined to prove everyone wrong.
Things got off to a rocky start. Maddison slammed the door in the face of one of her tutors on their first meeting. But then, spending time with math tutor Ryan Smith and Michael James tutoring English, everything started to shift for her.
The young carer worked intensely and against all odds, gained her Nat 4 in English and math which set her up to go onto Perth College, to start the ‘Moving On’ course.
Maddison thrived in the college environment and in her first year there, has achieved a certificate in ASDAN, John Muir Award, Duke of Edinburgh bronze and most impressively, was named student of the year for her class.
Maddison believes that is partly due to the obstacles in her academic journey that she has achieved so much.
“I want to succeed in life, I am getting the help I need to be fully capable of being myself again,” she told her PKAVS educational attainment worker Julie Maceachen.
“A few years ago I would not have been as capable as I am now.”
Mum Tina said that the last few years at school had been hard for her daughter and it was difficult watching the decline in her mental health.
Tina said that when Maddison began receiving support from the PKAVS tutors it was such a relief to the whole family.
“I consider them to be superheroes. They were godsends, the tutors made her believe she could do better, they gave her positives, we began to see light at the end of what had been a long, dark tunnel.
“There were times when Donald her dad and I had been at the end of our tethers, but the tutors connected with Maddison, gave her hope and self-belief. They brought out her best.
“The difference they made is phenomenal. We are blown away as parents with Maddison’s success.”
Perth College recently obtained the Carers Trust Quality Mark ‘Going Further’ which is awarded to further education establishments which put in place additional supports for carers.
Sam Monie from the student engagement team at Perth College UHI has done a lot of work around support of carers in
college.
He said how pleasing it was to see Maddison rewarded for her hard work and awarded the Moving On class award for student of the year 2020-2121.
