‘Children in Charge: Ireland’s Young Carers’ has been honoured with the award for best Consumer Broadcast Documentary at the 2011 Medical Media Awards.
The Subotica Films/RTÉ documentary reveals what life is like for a child who takes on the role of caring for a parent and was first broadcast on RTÉ One last November. Directed by Gerry Nelson (This is Me, The Riordans) and produced by Ailbhe Maher (Bertie), the documentary was made over a course of nine months. The judging panel at the G2011 GlaxoSmithKline Medical Media Awards said is was ”a well-paced, beautifully shot documentary dealing with an uncomfortable subject – what life is like when a child is obliged to care for a parent.”
The documentary observes the life of child carers including 19-year-old Shauna who has been caring for her mother since she was just five, eleven year old Stephen who cares for his mother who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), ten year old Oisin whose mother Ann-Marie is also battling with MS and 14 year old Marita who cares for her mother Anne.
All winners at the awards received €750 and a specially commissioned trophy. Other winners on the night include RTÉ Radio One, South East Radio, Irish Independent and Medical Independent. This was the tenth year of the GSK Medical Media Awards, which aim to recognise and reward outstanding contributions to the field of medical and health-related journalism.
