Young Carers Alliance in the UK
In recent years, there has been growing international recognition of the term ‘young carers’ – children and young people up to 25 who help care for or support someone (often a family member) because of an illness, disability, frailty or addiction.
The expanding body of research, such as the one published last year comparing the experiences of young carers across six European countries highlights the significant impact that caring responsibilities can have on the education, health, wellbeing and life opportunities of young carers.
In an aim to improve the support available for young carers, the Young Carers Alliance was launched in March 2022. The Alliance is a growing network of 150 member organisations and over 250 individuals all committed to improving the identification and support for young carers and their families.
It brings together representatives from research, policy, practice and youth voice to provide opportunities for sharing best practice, collaboration and providing a strong collective voice for young carers.
There is no geographical restriction to membership, current members come from countries such as France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Australia as well as the United Kingdom where the Alliance was founded in March 2022.
The Alliance is hosted by UK carers charity, Carers Trust, and there are webinars on specific topics throughout the year as well as a regular bulletin. Last year’s
Planned webinar topics for the year include:
- Young carers in education
- Young carers from under-represented backgrounds
- Taking a whole-family approach to supporting young carers
- Transitions into adulthood for young carers
- Supporting young carers who have their own health and wellbeing needs
There are also plans for a joint webinar later this year specifically focusing on international developments relating to young carers.
If you would like to join the Young Carers Alliance either as an organisation or individual, or if you would simply like to find out more, visit Young Carers Alliance – Carers Trust or e-mail youngcarersalliance@carers.org
