This month marks Young Carers Action Day, which this year has the theme “Give Me a Break”.
This day encourages rest and respite, which is vital to allow young carers to attend to their own needs and aspirations. From researching young carers, I’ve found that these young people have a lot of potential. However, many young carers lack support, which has constrained their access to education.
The number of young carers in the UK has risen in the past decade, with some studies estimating there are up to 247,000 young carers nationwide, or around three in every classroom.
While there are many ways to define young carers, The Carers Trust define them as:
“…someone aged under 18 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 [aged 16-25] and they may have different support needs to younger carers.”
Despite the large population of young carers, as school pupils they are often overlooked in administrative records. In 2022/2023, the School Census introduced a carer measure which identified 0.5% of pupils as young carers. However, there is reason to be concerns that this could be an underestimate as several cohort studies find that as many as 9.8–11.9% define themselves as a young carer.
Such a discrepancy means that some young carers are slipping through the cracks and are not receiving the support they need in school. This is particularly concerning for those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who may not be able to invest in educational resources outside of school that could help them catch up.
As 16- to 18-year-olds near the end of their compulsory education and begin to make plans about their future, young carers face the additional challenge of negotiating this planning caring responsibilities.
Moreover, being a young carer is often associated with other forms of disadvantage. For example, between 2009 and 2021, young carers from the UK Household Longitudinal Study had 56% greater odds of coming from the lowest household income quintile group. Without appropriate support, socioeconomically disadvantaged young carers face substantial barriers to education and social mobility.
Participation in education
Some young carers are struggling with attainment and attendance, which may have downstream effects on their education and labour market outcomes. Using school census data, The Carers Trust found that between 2022 and 23, 39% of young carers were persistently absent from school, whilst 30% were often late.
Poor attendance has important impacts on pupils’ attainment at all levels of education. Data from UCAS on university applications show that during their A-levels, young carers are 25% points less likely to achieve grades of AAB or above. These inequalities are also reflected in higher education, whereby young carers are 38% points less likely to obtain a university degree.
What is driving these inequalities?
Several factors may contribute to these educational inequalities. Time constraints and a lack of respite care can lead to young carers being less engaged in their studies. Additionally, young carers are often ‘hidden from view’ due to the stigma associated with their role, making them less likely to be known to services that could help to address their needs.
Furthermore, while higher education may offer more flexibility than school, qualitative research has shown that this isn’t always the case; for example, one carer highlighted that it was difficult to find out what specific support was available for carers at their HE institution. On top of this, young adult carers who engage in more than 21 hours of studies per week are not eligible for carer's allowance. This may deter young carers from pursuing higher education for fear of losing this, often vital, financial support.
The COVID-19 pandemic also further entrenched educational inequalities for young carers. Data from the COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities Study (COSMO) reveals that they were acutely affected by the pandemic. This is demonstrated in Figure 1, which depicts young people’s responses to the question “To what extent have your career plans for the future changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic?”. 32% of carers reported that these plans were “to some extent” or “completely” affected by the pandemic, compared to 24% of non-carers.
Figure 1: Percentage reporting changing future career plans due to the pandemic for carers and non-carers
During the pandemic, young carers were a part of the ‘invisible workforce’ that helped meet the demands of an overburdened NHS. During school closures, many young carers completed their A-levels while providing care at home. Figure 2 illustrates the 2-year plans of students aged 16-18 in COSMO. It shows that young carers were 10% points less likely to plan on attending university in 2 years’ time. While this may be partially explained by attainment disparities, some young carers reported that ‘split loyalties’ between continuing in education and their caring responsibilities influence their choices.
Figure 2: Future plans for 2 years’ time for carers and non-carers
Improving access to support
To address the disparities between young carers and carers, local authorities in the UK administer the Young Carers' Transition Plan under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Care Act 2014. This plan includes a needs assessment for carers between the ages of 16 and 18, covering housing, education, employment, and future finances. While obtaining such a plan has the potential to make the transition to adulthood smoother, many young carers are still not benefitting. A report by the Department of Health & Social Care and The Children's Society found that only 13% of young carers had actually received the support to which they are entitled.
In terms of education, young carers are missing from classrooms at an alarming rate and may miss out on opportunities that promote their social mobility. The analysis of COSMO data presented here finds that carers are less likely to pursue a degree, which may be linked to the educational inequalities they experience. To improve young carers' access to higher education, some organisations recommend adapting the carers allowance so that they can receive it while in full-time education.
Improved visibility and reducing the stigma of being a young carer could also help to link young carers with the resources that they need. Better adherence to the young carers' transition plan is also vital to ensure that more young people playing this vital role can reap the benefits and navigate their transition to adulthood. These issues should be addressed urgently so that no young carer is held back from reaching their full potential.