Young carers in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire will call for a fair future and demand more support from local and national government on Young Carers Action Day today (13 March).
There are an estimated one million young carers in the UK – children looking after a family member or friend who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol.
A recent inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers found these responsibilities are having a devastating effect on their education and future prospects. It revealed a shocking 15,000 UK children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend at least 50 hours a week on caring.
Young Carers Action Day is an annual event organised by Carers Trust to raise awareness of the pressures placed on so many young people. This year’s theme is Fair Futures For Young Carers, highlighting how young and young adult carers are significantly less likely to undertake higher education or enter employment than their peers without a caring responsibility.
To mark the day, Carers Trust and its network of organisations (including Crossroads) and young carers are launching a Young Carers Covenant, the first UK-wide commitment to young and young adult carers. Young carers and their support organisations have written to councillors and their local MPs, asking them to support the covenant. Businesses and schools are also being asked to sign up to the pledge.
Locally at Crossroads we are looking for organisations who would like help us support young carers into further education and into the workplace. Contact Andrew to work with us to support young carers and carers of all ages in education and businesses.
