More of our children are caring for us than ever. The challenges that they face are shown in sharp relief by research published on Thursday by the Children's Society. Post-school they are twice as likely to be not in education or employment. One in 12 are caring for someone more than 15 hours per week. Around one in 20 misses school because of caring. These young people often say they've been bullied or have developed their own physical and emotional health problems.
The scale of the issue is huge. The 2011 census shows 178,000 young people under 18 looking after a friend or family member. This isn't the whole picture – we know far more go unidentified. When filling in the census, many parents simply don't recognise or want to say that their child is caring for them. BBC research in 2010 put the number at more like 700,000 in reality at that time.
At one end there is the five- to seven-year-old age group, where the census shows 10,000 little boys and girls caring for parents or siblings. This can be providing emotional support when they're depressed, helping them put their clothes on because they can't manage themselves or getting meals ready for the family. At the other, there are 60,000 16- and 17-year-olds looking after households and paying bills, making sure people get to their medical appointments, giving people their injections, carrying out personal care such as bathing disabled relatives and supporting parents even when their mental health is at its worst. They're often dealing with complex care roles and juggling school at the same time. Carers Trust, through our network of local services across the UK, supports over 24,000 young carers, and we're constantly trying to reach more.
All this can take its toll. Take Leah for example, one of the many young carers I've worked with. Aged 9, she watched as her mum was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. For six years she supported her through periods of suicidal depression and manic spending. Unable to confide in anyone, she became isolated, her schoolwork suffered and she became unwell herself. Despite all the health professionals involved with her mother – her GP, the psychiatrist, the social workers – not a single one recognised that she might need support, or realised why she was so stressed. Eventually, at 15, she was referred to the local Carers Trust young carers project, which is helping her get her life back on track and giving her a chance to shine – while also still helping her mum.
Things don't have to be like this. If we knew who young carers were, and professionals assessed and met their and their families' needs properly, fewer young people would have their personal and educational development negatively affected in this way.
The government has the chance to ensure that the right support is provided to young carers and their families. Right now. Two pieces of legislation currently before parliament present a historic opportunity to improve young carers' lives. The children and families bill, currently in the House of Commons, could be used to ensure that young carers who need support get a proper assessment and support to ensure their development isn't put at risk.
But getting support for young carers themselves isn't enough. We need to make sure that adults who have care needs are properly supported so that children are not relied upon to look after their families, which quite frankly, in many cases they should not be doing at all. The care bill, which entered the House of Lords last Friday, is exactly where that can happen. If the government doesn't amend it, the bill should acknowledge that it is relying on our children to pick up the care when no one else will.
The government has said it's listening but, despite introducing new rights for adult carers, we've seen no action for young carers even with MPs from all parties arguing the case. Norman Lamb MP, the minister for care services, said last week: "I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure that young carers are not let down."
For the sake of the 178,000 young carers in England and Wales that we know about, and the many more that we do not, I hope so.
