The hidden health service: Five-year-old children among one million young carers in the UK
They have been called the 'hidden health service', with some beginning caring from as young as just five years old, ITV News Senior Correspondent Ronke Phillips reports
Across the UK and behind closed doors, up to one million children are supporting a close family member with a mental illness, physical ailment, disability or addiction, according to analysis by the Carers Trust shared exclusively with ITV Tonight.
Young carers are cooking and cleaning, providing emotional support and even helping with their loved ones' personal care, for up to 50 hours a week.
They have been called the 'hidden health service', with some beginning caring from as young as just five years old.
The scale of the issue is revealed in an episode of ITV’s Tonight programme, ‘Young Carers: A Hidden Crisis’, presented by ITV correspondent Ronke Phillips Pakenham.
In the documentary, Ronke speaks to young carers about how their responsibilities at home impact their day-to-day lives and asks whether they are getting the support they need.
Hindy, who suffers from Guillain-Barré syndrome, said she 'mentally wouldn't have coped' if she didn't have her 12-year-old son Jed caring for her
Jed, 12, has been caring for his mother since she developed Guillain-Barré syndrome during the pandemic. She was in hospital for a month and although she is now back at home, Jed remains anxious.
He said: "My mom was looking after me for at least like 10 years. At least I'll know that I'm helping her in return."
His mother Hindy said: "I've got my paralysis of the feet and sensitivity. So the nerves in your feet are dead. On a bad day I can literally not get out of bed. If I didn't have Jed, mentally I wouldn't have coped."
For Jed, like many young carers, his life at school is adversely impacted.
He told ITV's Tonight programme: "I don't think my school understands either, sometimes I say I'm late 'cause I have to help my mum and they'll be like, I have to wake up earlier.
"So it's still my fault, but I think that's just life.
"Life's unfair and you've got to deal with it. So I guess I just deal with it."
This is an issue facing many unrecognised young carers across the country.
The Department for Education’s school census recorded 38,000 young carers in England this year, with 79% of schools recording no young carers at all. It's left experts critical.
Seb, who's been a carer 'from the age of a toddler onwards', talks about the impact it had on school work and attendance
“We're talking about children who have a significant caregiving role, but we're also talking about just 20% of those children being identified, being recognised, being assessed," Expert Professor Saul Becker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Education at Manchester Metropolitan University told the Tonight programme."
He added: "So the crisis is one of the invisibility of most children who are carers, who are literally left to their own devices to navigate through childhood, without anyone either giving a damn or doing anything to help them.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Young carers make an enormous contribution by caring for their loved ones and we want to ensure they are supported. This is why we introduced a legal responsibility on Local Authorities to identify local young carers and undertaking assessments of their needs.
“Our recently published care strategy outlines new and bolstered services to support families, including young carers, making sure the right team of professionals are put in place to help address issues earlier.”
Young Carers: A Hidden Crisis is on ITV1, Tonight on Thursday at 8.30pm.
If you need help or more information:
https://carers.org/about-caring/about-young-carers
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