Local MPs, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland have joined carers from Swindon at the launch of ‘Time to be Heard’, a new awareness raising campaign to give the 375,000 young adult carers in the UK a voice.
The UK’s largest carers charity, Carers Trust, is launching the campaign as a call for recognition and support for young adult carers. These are 14-25 year olds who care, unpaid, for a family member or friend who due to illness, disability, mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
Young adult carers have many challenges as they grow up - in school, in further education, employment and in their social lives as they make the transition to adulthood. They often have great difficulties fitting in the things their peers take for granted, alongside their caring responsibilities. The campaign sets out the key recommendations for national and local government, health, and education providers on how to improve the lives of young adult carers.
The campaign is based on ground-breaking new research with Nottingham University which shows the significant impact caring can have on young adults in education and when looking for work - the first large-scale survey of this age group, with 295 carers taking part.
The research found that young adult carers:
- miss or cut short an average of 48 school days because of their caring role
- were four times more likely to drop out of college or university
- needed to miss work an average of 17 days per year, with a further 79 days affected because of their caring responsibilities
- have higher rates of poor mental and physical health
- rarely receive the assessments they are entitled to, with only 22% of those surveyed receiving a formal assessment of their needs by the local authority
- experience high rates of bullying - one quarter reported bullying and abuse in school because they were a carer.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “It was good to meet with carers from Swindon to discuss the challenges they face and what more the Government can do to assist. Robert & I know that young carers in Swindon receive excellent support from the Carers Trust and we will continue to work closely with them”.
