Brooke calls for greater support for young carers

2.51.28pm GMT Tue 30th Jan 2007

Annette has long stood to provide more support to young carers

Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, has called for more support to be given to young carers around the country.

Young carers are children and young people under 18 who help to look after a family member who is disabled, physically or mentally ill or has a substance misuse problem.

The last census in 2001 found 175 000 young carers in the UK. 18 000 of these children were aged 5-15 and providing 20 hours of care or more a week - nearly three hours a day. Nearly 9 000 provided at least 50 hours - more than seven hours a day.

Annette Brooke said:

"We have been working in Parliament to raise awareness of the issues faced by young carers, but there is still much more concrete action that needs to be taken.

"More support needs to be given in our schools, as staff are often unaware that students are also young carers. This can cause problems, for example, where children are absent whilst caring, but are disciplined as playing truant. Every school should have a nominated person responsible for young carers, in line with Government guidance.

"We need to ensure that children's services and adults' services work together - not just at a strategic level, but also on the ground. Only with this joined-up thinking can we hope to tackle the challenges facing all members of the family.

"Thorough training also needs to be provided for all front-line professionals working with young people who could be carers, so that the appropriate support network is always accessible."

ENDS