Young carers 'need more support'

By Alison Smith
BBC News education reporter

NCH suspects that some young carers may not ask for help

Almost two thirds of teenagers who care for a sick or disabled relative believe they do not receive enough support from their school, a survey suggests.

NCH, the children's charity, said half of young carers devoted more than 20 hours per week to caring.

It questioned 100 carers aged 11 to 16, a quarter of whom said their education had suffered.

It said young carers could become alienated and anxious, and schools needed to be more aware of their needs.

Almost 30% of those surveyed said they had experienced bullying.

The survey also found that 65% of young carers needed to care for a relative seven days a week.

'I do worry'

Sam has been caring for her mother, who has severe epilepsy, for 10 years.

On a good day she is fine and can cope on her own at home.

Dad's in constant pain. It does stop us doing some things, such as going on family holidays Jamie, 15

The 15-year-old just has to remind her mother to take her medication because her memory has been badly affected by the condition.

However, on most days her mother has a fit.

"But I know what to do now and I've no need to call for any medical assistance," she said.

"I make sure she's ok until she stops fitting.

"And more generally I help out around the house if she's not able to do that.

"I do worry about my mum when I'm at school, but I'm allowed to keep my mobile on at all times as long as it doesn't disturb anybody."

Although her school is supportive, Sam said many teachers did not really comprehend her situation.

"I think they could do more for me if they understood what it's like," she said.

Constant pain

But some young carers show that looking after a relative does not have to mean your school or social life suffers to an unbearable degree.

Jamie, 15, cares for his step-father who suffered spinal injuries in a motorbike accident.

But Jamie competes at international level in street dancing, and last year came second in an international competition of 22 countries.

"I always put my Dad first," he said.

"Some of my dance teachers know about my situation.

"I have had to come home early from dancing to help look after him, but I manage to work dancing around looking after him and my school work."

Jamie has borne the brunt of the caring responsibilities while his 16-year-old sister focused on her GCSEs.

His two brothers are a little too young to help out much, he said.

"Dad's in constant pain. It does stop us doing some things, such as going on family holidays.

"It's too difficult to take him around. Turbulence in an aeroplane or the swaying of a boat would hurt his back too much."

Jamie said his school was supportive, though he said not all his teachers needed to know about his father's injuries.

"I manage to get coursework in on time, though at times working at home can be difficult."

Knock-on effects

George McNamara, NCH policy officer, said the response of schools to the needs of young carers was patchy.

"One young person told me that he had been sent to the head teacher for being five minutes late as a result of his responsibilities as a carer.

"We need to increase awareness of the needs of these young people."

The emotional strain of caring for a relative is not difficult to imagine.

But Mr McNamara says the knock-on effects are not often well understood by the child's school or friends.

"Some families may be on very low incomes because a parent cannot work.

"And a young carer will often have to look after younger siblings as well, because the parent cannot do it.

"These children have a lot of responsibility and are under a lot of pressure."

NCH assists young carers with practical issues such as applying for benefits and organises activity days for them, aware that they cannot always enjoy the social lives other teenagers take for granted.

Mr McNamara said it was not possible to know exactly how many school-age carers there were in Britain, since some may never ask for help.

The NCH says that, in the last census in 2001, about 175,000 young people identified themselves as carers.

But the suspicion is that some may be too afraid to admit they cannot cope alone.