Young Carer
A you
ng carer is someone aged 25 and under who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. Older young carers are also known as young adult carers and they may have different support needs to younger carers.
How many young carers are there?
As a result of campaigning by Carers Trust, The Children’s Society and other charities, young carers were added to the Spring school census for state schools in England from January 2023.
Schools are asked to record if a pupil is a young carer, and if so, who they were identified by (school or parent). This applies to primary and secondary schools, special schools, and alternative provision providers.
The results of the school census in relation to young carers
The latest school census data relating to young carers was released in June 2024 on the Department for Education website.
Nationally, 53,976 pupils were recorded as young carers, representing 0.6% of the pupil population and an average of 337 young carers per local authority. This represents a significant under-reporting of the number of young carers in schools, both when compared to the estimated number of young carers in schools, and the numbers known to local young carer services. This under-reporting was caused by the fact that 72% of schools recorded having zero young carers in their school.
What's in your school bag? - What might a young carer do?
- Practical tasks, like cooking, housework and shopping.
- Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed.
- Emotional support, including talking to someone who is distressed.
- Personal care, such as helping someone dress.
- Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions.
- Helping to give medicine.
- Helping someone communicate.
- Looking after brothers and sisters.
I think I might be a young or young adult carer, where can I go for support?
The responsibilities of young and young adult carers vary greatly, so you may be eligible for support, even if you don’t feel like you do a lot of caring. If you think that you might be a young or young adult carer, get in touch with your local carer service. Or you can speak with Mrs Sam Grainger, Young Carer Lead, at school, so you receive the support you need.
Alternatively you can complete the Young Carer questionnaire and Young Carer referral form yourself.
Young carer drop in sessions.
Term 3 - Weekly Young carer Sessions
Further Information
Young Carer ~ Know your rights. Click on the NHS logo 
Caring for Someone ~ take a look at this leaflet
Who cares in School?~ leaflet
Look out for our Young Carer Policy ~ 
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