Young carers isolated and stressed by coronavirus lockdown
Video report by ITV News Consumer Editor Chris Choi
Today we got the first research showing how badly lockdown has hit the UK’s young carers.
Pressure, workload and anxiety have all increased for the estimated 700,000 children that provide care for members of their family.
Almost a thousand carers took part in the research, which has led to fresh calls for more government help.
Elli Horton, 11, describes her daily routine looking after her mum and siblings
Elli Horton is 11 and lives on the Yorkshire coast, she does a lot to help her mum who has recently came out of hospital. Daily chores and helping with her mum’s medication occupy much of her time.
She said: “I do cry because of the problems - in fact I’m known as a bit of a crier... It’s like you have a worry bag and sometimes the bag is too full.”
A new survey by Carers Trust shows
40% of young carers say their mental health is worse since coronavirus
67% are more worried about the future since coronavirus
66% of young carers are feeling more stressed since coronavirus
69% are feeling less connected to others since coronavirus
11% of young carers report an increase of 30 hours or more in the amount of time they spend caring per week
Carers Trust CEO and former young carer, Gareth Howells, said: "This is the first snapshot of how Coronavirus is affecting hundreds of thousands of young people with caring responsibilities across the UK. And the results are truly shocking. They cannot, and must not, be ignored."