After handing in a letter to 10 Downing Street last week, young carers across the country are calling on YOU to help them this Carers Rights Day!
A group of young carers, including one from Sheffield, recently visited 10 Downing Street to rally for support after an inquiry revealed the devastating impact caring has on young people. Young Carer Mirrie, 16, from Sheffield, was part of the group who handed an open letter to PM Rishi Sunak, ahead of today’s Carers Rights Day.
The letter was signed by 1,267 young carers and young adult carers nationally, following the publication of a shocking All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiry. Supported by the Carers Trust, the inquiry revealed the extent of missed life opportunities for young people with caring responsibilities.
Young carers from across the country stopping for a photo outside of Westminster with their letter to PM Rishi Sunak.
Mirrie said, “It was an amazing experience to be part of the inquiry launch event. Being there showed me that all the work we do actually makes a difference in Westminster, and it made me hopeful for much more change in the future.”
Findings from the inquiry showed that 15,000 children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend 50 hours or more a week looking after someone because of an illness, disability or addiction. Alongside this, young carers miss 27 school days per year on average. Of children who self-harm, young carers are twice as likely to attempt to take their own life in comparison to non-carers.
Things don’t become any easier for young carers as they become older, with the inquiry uncovering that young adult carers are less likely to be employed than their peers who don’t have caring responsibilities. Young adult carers are also substantially less likely to achieve a university degree than their peers without a caring role, those who care for 35 or more hours a week are 86% less likely to achieve a degree.
David Johnston MP, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, signed the Young Carers and Young Adult Carers Pledge for support at the APPG inquiry launch reception.
Young Carers National Voice submitted 7 key asks to the All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiry. Each of the individual asks challenges everybody to help support young carers, no matter what we do, how much influence we have; together, we can all help young carers voices be heard! Listen to the 7 key asks below and ask yourself; is there is anything YOU could do to help make these asks become reality?
As mentioned previously, today is Carers Rights Day, a day promoted by Carers UK. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness of caring, helping to identify carers and signposting carers to information, support and advice. Sheffield Young Carers will be one of many charities promoting Carers Right Day this year, themed ‘Your Rights: today, tomorrow, and in the future’. We know that young carers will continue to fight for their rights (and we’ll be with them every step of the way!), but can YOU help to make sure young carers are both supported and heard?
If you’d like to help raise awareness this Carers Rights Day, visit Carers UK to get involved.
If you’d like to raise awareness for Sheffield Young Carers this Carers Rights Day, or in the future, click here to see more.
