Young People as Carers: Implications for Educational Psychologists

Ewan Adams, Julita Barecka-Young, Hannah Bertram, Nazim Bhuiyan, Mark Brotherton, Gerry o!e, Joanna Gray, Gail Hendry, Anna-May Hocking, arol Mc ulloch, hristine McGo%ern, "yndsay M# Holden, Blake $illeen,

&oseanna Mohammed, 'aryn Moir, Geraldine Mooney, &uth E# Muir, "ouise &ae, Gillian &uddock, "indsey 'homson, Gemma (atson

A young carer (YC) is a child or young person aged under 18 who has a significant role in looking after an adult or sibling who is experiencing physical or mental illness or disability, or who re uires care due to misuse of drugs or alcohol (!cottish "o#ernment, $%1%a)& 'he !cottish "o#ernment ($%%8) estimates that there may be o#er 1%%,%%% YCs in !cotland, some pro#iding such successful care that the formal supports are withdrawn and responsibility for care left solely with the child or young person (Aldridge and (ecker, 1))*a)& A third of YCs care for 11+$% hours per week, with others (an additional 18,) pro#iding support ranging from $% to o#er -% hours per week (.earden and (ecker, $%%/a)& 0any YCs may be unknown to ser#ices and their support needs unmet ((arry, $%11)& 1ndeed, recently 'he 2rincess 3oyal 'rust ($%1$) found that *), of YC4s teachers4 were unaware of their role as carers& E))ects o) aring 3esearch highlights ad#erse effects on YCs4 physical health, psychological well+ being, education and social de#elopment& YCs may experience tiredness, stress and anxiety, sleeping difficulties and eating disorders, and may self+harm& (.earden and (ecker, $%%/a5 Cree $%%*5 "rant and Compas, 1))-) and are at risk of higher rates of absenteeism, underachie#ement and beha#ioural difficulties (.earden and (ecker, $%%/b5 'homas et al&, $%%*)& 1n addition, YCs may encounter significant difficulties in finding time to socialise resulting in social exclusion and peer+group isolation (Cree, $%%*5 "ray et al&, $%%85 'homas et al&, $%%*)& 6hile (anks et al&
1

($%%1) suggest that caring has no negati#e effects upon school work, .earden and (ecker ($%%$) report that some $-, of YCs experience a range of educational difficulties, although such difficulties may be due to other factors& 7ariations in the fre uency, duration, type of care and indi#idual perceptions of the caring role result in a di#erse of range of experience for YCs (8lsen, 1))9)& 1f YCs identify themsel#es as carers, they are more likely to draw on support from the wider community, build resilience and reap the benefits of caring (:ngar, $%%85 !myth et al&, $%11)& Caring may engender feelings of pride and worth, a sense of accomplishment, greater resilience, and a positi#e outlook on life (0oore $%%-), with many YCs being shown to ha#e greater compassion and empathy than same+age peers (!myth et al&, $%115 2ackenham et al&, $%%;5 8lsen, 1))9)& YCs can also ha#e enhanced practical skills and be adept at multi+tasking, as they combine schoolwork with their caring role& <owe#er, though these skills are highly sought after in the workplace, they are rarely formally assessed (Aldridge and (ecker, 1))*b)& urrent *u!!orts, &esources and *trategies 1n !cotland, support ser#ices are pro#ided by the local authority (=A) or are deli#ered in partnership with third sector agencies such as 'he 2rincess 3oyal 'rust for Carers (23'C)& !uch support ser#ices can pro#ide respite care, social and emotional support, information or signposting and ad#ocacy& >amily group conferences are often used to negotiate support roles and identify appropriate resources (Aldridge and (ecker, 1))))& 6here specialist pro#ision to support YCs is lacking, mainstream children4s ser#ices are expected to fill the gaps& 1n $%%;, 'he 23'C and the YC 1nitiati#e de#eloped a national toolkit for schools, based on the rationale that schools are best placed to notice ?warning signs4, and signpost families to appropriate support (!cottish "o#ernment, $%1%a)& 'his included an exemplar YC 2olicy for schools& 1n some =As, carers4 networks (including representation from the =A, health professionals, the 23'C and often the carers themsel#es) allow for experience and knowledge to be shared, and the planning and deli#ery ser#ices to YCs& 3esearch on the effecti#eness of YC ser#ices, the uality of support or the means and circumstances through which support can most effecti#ely be deli#ered is
2

limited& <owe#er, ser#ices which can offer a wide range of supports are highly+ #alued, particularly where this encompasses social and leisure acti#ities (.earden and (ecker, $%%%5 Aldridge, $%%9)& 'he document Good Practice Carers and Young Carers Stories (!cottish "o#ernment, $%1%b) includes examples of YCs4 #oices to help inform future action& +re%entati%e A!!roaches and the &ole o) the Health and (ell-,eing Agenda Aldridge and (ecker (1));5 1)) argue for a need for @a pre#entati#e strategy which incorporates both pre#ention and inter#ention and which ensures children and their families are both protected and supportedA& 'hey highlight the importance of ?#igilance4 (of agencies and professionals)5 ?a family approach4 (in order to reduce families4 anxieties o#er their child being taken into care)5 ?children4s rights4 (e&g& the :B Con#ention on the 3ights of the Child)5 and ?access to information4 (especially for families)& 'he Curriculum for Cxcellence (CfC) and the health and well+being agenda ha#e a particular role to play in pre#entati#e approaches which address the needs of YCs& 'he curriculum has raised school awareness of YC issues, with many YCs identifying themsel#es as a result of school referrals or information in school literature (!myth, (laxland and Cass, $%11)& >re uent contact and familiarity with pupils also means that schools are ideally placed to identify early difficulties resulting from caring responsibilities, such as attendance and beha#iour issues (!cottish "o#ernment, $%1%a)& -m!lications )or E+ +ractice Consultation C2s should be aware of the pre#entati#e benefits of early identification of the needs of the YC, and the problem of ?hidden carers4 whereby young carers do not readily identify themsel#es and therefore do not recei#e support ((arry, $%11)& As issues of general health are often salient, C2s should work co+operati#ely with both adult and children4s health ser#ices to re#iew and e#aluate on+going support pro#ision& 1t is also important that the #iews of the parent or the person cared for are taken into account in consultation& As identification of a young person as a young YC can ha#e both positi#e and negati#e impact upon their social identity formation, the C2 must
3

be sensiti#e to this in their consultati#e role (!myth et al&, $%11)& Assessment and 1nter#ention 6orking with schools and other agencies, C2s may pro#ide one+to+one support, allowing young carers to talk freely and without preDudice5 encourage schools4 flexibility with curricula and timetables5 or ad#ise practical supports, such as allowing mobile phones& C2s may also help schools to de#elop policies to raise awareness of caring and its implications among staff and peers& As the care pro#ided by young people may last well into adulthood (.earden and (ecker, $%%%), C2s may work across establishments and sectors to ensure supports are a#ailable at points of transition 'raining 'raining can raise awareness of the uni ue and complex nature of YCsE experience (!myth et al&, $%11)& C2s can explore and challenge the ethos of schools and stakeholdersE perceptions through training, and therefore de#elop supporti#e systems for YCs& C2s can pro#ide training on e#idence+informed inter#entions, including programmes to de#elop internal self+coping skills and resilience, which can mitigate the impact of caring on young peopleEs li#es (Cree, $%%*)& 1n addition, 1mplementation !cience literature (e&g& >ixsen et al&, $%%)) describes Ecore implementation componentsE which can ensure the sustainability and effecti#eness of such e#idence based approaches& 3esearch 3esearch should explore the impact of isolation, social exclusion and po#erty on YCs4 education and should also seek to identify protecti#e factors by in#estigating YCs who do not display educational problems within their ecological contexts& "ray et al& ($%%8) discuss the importance of peer support for the health and well+being of YCs in rural communities and 0ills ($%%*) describes problems arising from inade uate support for YCs from minority communities& C2s may therefore ha#e an important role in research focusing on YCs from di#erse cultural backgrounds and the barriers they experience in accessing ser#ices& !uch research would help de#elop knowledge and best practice in working with YC in culturally appropriate ways&
4

onclusion !ignificant numbers of YCs remain unidentified in !cotland, and are #ulnerable to risks to their education and well+being& C2s are ideally situated to pro#ide support through the fi#e core functions, with a particular focus on training and research to raise awareness and challenge perceptions, helping to ensure that appropriate and timely support is pro#ided& C2s4 ability to pro#ide insight and support with respect to research and e#aluation may also assist schools in the self+e#aluation of the systems and ser#ices they currently pro#ide for YCs& >urther research would inform e#idence+based and best practice, ensuring that the #iews of YCs and their families are sought and employed in the impro#ement of the ser#ices and supports a#ailable&

&e)erences Aldridge, F& ($%%9)& 'he experiences of children li#ing with and caring for parents with mental illness, Child Abuse Review, 15($), ;)+88& Aldridge, F& and (ecker, !& (1))*a) 2unishing children for caringG the hidden cost of young carers& Children & Society, 7 !", #7$%#&7' Aldridge, F& and (ecker, !& (1))*b)& Children (ho Care) *nside the (orld o+ Young Carers, =oughboroughG Young Carers 3esearch "roup, =oughborough :ni#ersity& Aldridge, F& and (ecker, !& (1));)& Prevention and *ntervention) Young Carers and their +a,ilies& =oughboroughG Young Carers 3esearch "roup, =oughborough :ni#ersity& Aldridge& F& and (ecker, !& (1)))) Children as carersG the impact of parental illness and disability on children4s caring roles& -ournal o+ .a,ily /hera0y, 11(*), *%*+*$%& (anks 2&, Cogan B&, .eeley !&, <ill 0&, 3iddell !&, 'isdall H& ($%%1)& !eeing the in#isible children and young people affected by disability& 2isability & Society, 1$(9), ;);+81/& (arry, 0& ($%11) ?1 realised that 1 wasnEt alone4G the #iews and experiences of young carers from a social capital perspecti#e, -ournal o+ Youth Studies, 1!(-), -$*+-*)& Cree, 7& C& ($%%*)& 6orries and problems of young carersG 1ssues for mental health& Child and .a,ily Social (or3, &(/), *%1+*%)& .earden, C& and (ecker, !& ($%%%)& 4eeting Young Carers 5eeds) An 6valuation o+ She++ield Young Carers Pro7ect, =oughboroughG Young Carers 3esearch "roup, =oughborough :ni#ersity& .earden C& and (ecker !& ($%%$)& Young Carers and Cducation& Carers :H .earden, C& and (ecker, !& ($%%/a)& Young Carers in the 89) /he 1::! Re0ort& 3etrie#ed 19I1$I1$ from httpsGIIdspace&lboro&ac&ukIdspace+ DspuiIbitstreamI$1*/I9$;I*IYC3eport$%%/,$-$--(1,$-$--.&pdf .earden, C&, and (ecker, !& ($%%/b)& Young Carers and Cducation& Carers :H& >ixsen ., (lase H, Baoom ! and 6allace > ($%%)) Core 1mplementation Components, Research on Social (or3 Practice, 1;(9), -*1+-/%&

"rant, H&C&, and Compas, (&C& (1))-)& !tress and anxious+depressed symptoms among adolescentsG searching for mechanisms of risk& -ournal o+ Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 9*(9), 1%1-+1%$1& "ray, (&, 3obinson, C, and !eddon, .& ($%%8)& 1n#isible ChildrenG Young Carers of 2arents with 0ental <ealth 2roblems J 'he 2erspecti#e of 2rofessionals& Child and Adolescent 4ental <ealth, 1*(/), 19)+1;$& 0ills <& ($%%*) 0eeting the needs of black and minority ethnic young carersG A literature re#iew and research study for the 6illow Young Carers !er#ice& (arnardoEs 2olicy, 3esearch and 1nfluencing :nit& 0oore, '& ($%%-)& Young carers and educationG 1dentifying the barriers to satisfactory education for young carers& Youth Studies Australia, $/ (/), -%+--& 8lsen, 3&, (1))9)& Young CarersG Challenging the facts and politics of research into children and caring, 2isability & Society, 11(1), /1+-/& 2ackenham, H& 1&, Chiu, F&, (ursnall, !& and Cannon, ', ($%%;)& 3elations between social support, appraisal and coping and both positi#e and negati#e outcomes in young carers& -ournal o+ <ealth Psychology, 11(1), 8) J 1%$& 2rincess 3oyal 'rust& ($%1$)& (hat is a Carer= 3etrie#ed $%I1I1$ from httpGIIwww&carers&orgIwhat+carer !cottish "o#ernment& ($%%8)& Young Carer 5u,bers& 3etrie#ed $;I1I1$ from httpGIIemployabilityinscotland&comIyoungcarer&aspx !cottish "o#ernment& ($%1%a)& Getting it Right +or Young Carers) /he Young Carers strategy +or Scotland 1:1:%1:15 Su,,ary' 3etrie#ed $I$I1$ from httpGIIwww&scotland&go#&ukI2ublicationsI$%1%I%8I19%)-%/*I1 !cottish "o#ernment ($%1%b)& Good Practice Carers and Young Carers Stories, Caring /ogether and Getting *t Right +or Young Carers, /he Carers and Young Carers Strategy +or Scotland 1:1: > 1:15' 3etrie#ed 1I1I1$, from httpGIIwww&scotland&go#&ukI3esourceI.ocI*1)/)9I%1%$1%;&pdf& !myth, C&, (laxland, 0& and Cass, (& ($%11)& ?!o thatEs how 1 found out 1 was a young carer and that 1 actually had been a carer most of my life4& 1dentifying and supporting hidden young carers& -ournal o+ Youth Studies, 1!($), 1/-+19%&

'homas, B&, !tainton, '&, Fackson, !&, Cheung, 6&Y&, .oubtfire, !&, and 6ebb, A& ($%%*)& ?Your friends don4t understand4G 1n#isibility and unmet need in the li#es of ?young carers4& Child & .a,ily Social (or3, &(1), *-+/9& :ngar, 0& ($%%8)& 3esilience across Cultures ' ?ritish -ournal o+ Social (or3, #&($), $18J$*-&