A Unique Child: Inclusion - Who cares?

Instead of enjoying carefree childhoods, nearly a quarter of a million children, some as young as five years old, are coping with the stress and responsibility of caring for close family members. Personal physical development, emotional health, time to play and socialise, education and future job prospects can all be adversely affected by their caring role.

New census statistics reveal there are 166,363 young carers in England. This is up by a fifth from the last figures in 2001, although The Children's Society warns it could be 'the tip of the iceberg' with many young carers remaining under the radar. The average age of a young carer is commonly accepted to be 12 years old but the number of five to seven-year-olds caring for parents, siblings and family has increased in the past decade by around 80 per cent to 9,371.

While there is no legal definition of a young carer, the term is taken to include all children and young people under 18 years old who provide regular and ongoing care and emotional support to a family member who is physically or mentally ill, disabled or misuses substances.

A Carers Trust representative adds, 'The term does not apply to the everyday and occasional help around the home that may often be expected of or given by children in families. The key features for us are that the caring responsibilities persist over time and are important in maintaining the health, safety or day-to-day well-being of the person cared for or the wider family.'

The range and scale of care varies greatly. It can involve lots of physical care, including dressing and administering medication, looking after siblings, paying bills or providing emotional support.

IMPACT

The impact of this demanding role on children is immense, with stress and tiredness common. They can become isolated and afraid to ask for help because they fear being taken into care or betraying their family. Barnardo's chief executive Anne Marie Carrie says, 'We must not forget that despite having some very adult responsibilities, young carers are still children. It is essential that we do all we can to ensure they don't miss out on opportunities that other children have to play, learn and develop.

'Inappropriate or excessive levels of caring by children and young people can put their education, training or health at risk. Many young carers struggle at school and are often bullied for being "different".'

The 2011 census states that more than 2,000 young carers have 'bad' or 'very bad' health, while The Children's Society analysis found that they are one-and-a-half times more likely to have a long-standing illness or disability or special educational need. The charity has released a report, Hidden from View, to coincide with the new statistics, revealing the significant long-term impact that caring has on children's lives.

Other report findings include:

• One in 12 young carers provide care for more than 15 hours per week
• Caring responsibilities cause around one in 20 to miss school
• Young carers have significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE, equivalent to nine grades lower overall than their peers
• Young carers are more likely than the national average to be 'not in education, employment or training' (NEET) between the ages of 16 and 19 years old
• Families with a young carer have £5,000 less average annual income than those who do not have a young carer.

'Caring can cost children dearly,' says The Children's Society chief executive Matthew Reed. 'They are missing out on their childhoods and school, and gaining fewer qualifications and job opportunities are and therefore less likely to earn a decent living in the future.' The charity is calling for support for the increasing numbers of young carers and their families to prevent them from caring in the first place and for agencies to work more effectively across professional boundaries.

Young carers need to be identified and linked to appropriate support, says the Carers Trust. 'Schools, doctors and everyone in a position to identify young people in caring roles need to make it their business to ensure they get support,' says the trust's director of policy and research Dr Moira Fraser. 'Harmful caring by children - when they have to take on responsibilities that can stop them being able to live as children - can only be prevented when adults are given the right level of support.'

Ms Carrie of Barnardo's says it is vital that the law is reformed to ensure young carers are identified, assessed and supported as early as possible. She adds, 'Preventing the risk of inappropriate caring, and so the escalation of young carers' needs, will reduce the need for high-cost interventions and the burden on local authorities further down the line.'

THE YCIF PROGRAMME

Young Carers in Focus (YCiF) is a four-year programme running until 2016, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by The Children's Society. It aims to give young carers a voice so they can share their experiences, improve public understanding about the issues they face and gain recognition and support.

YCiF aims to help children and young people by:

• protecting them from taking on inappropriate caring roles
•  supporting them to get their voices heard to inform policy and services
• supporting them to have the same opportunities to education, employment, training and leisure time as their peers
• improving public awareness and understanding of family illness and disability to promote positive attitudes towards young carers and their families and mitigate the impact of stigma and discrimination
• encouraging local authorities, schools, GPs and young carers' services to support the work of the project.

CASE STUDY

Joanne, 14 years old, has helped to care for her older brother since she was only seven years old, while also supporting her mother who was diagnosed with cancer. The responsibility of her caring duties combined with starting secondary school led to her developing Tourette's syndrome when she was 11.

Her 17-year-old brother has Asperger's syndrome and Joanne supports him by helping with his homework and giving advice on managing friendships and how to understand other people's ways of thinking. He needs a set routine and can become annoyed if it changes.

Caring for two family members and juggling her own education leaves Joanne feeling tired and stressed. She struggles to keep on top of homework and often is not able to have a social life of her own.

Joanne wishes that schools and teachers would recognise the impact that being a young carer has on her, which she believes would relieve some of the anxiety of her situation.

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