Who Cares? The Hidden Young Carers in Marginalised Populations
12 March 2025 | Kirit Sehmbi - Homeless & Inclusion Health Project Lead & Fiona Rogers - Carers Champion
Young carers are under 18 and care for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support. The impact of being a young carer and the health inequalities experienced are unjust and as community nurses we have the opportunity to and must work together with our colleagues, communities and families we serve to address this.
Young Carers
The 2021 Census recorded 128,00 young carers in England and Wales, and it is estimated the number is closer to a million in the UK. Worryingly, the 2011 Census found nearly 10,000 young carers aged 5–7 in England and Wales, an 83% increase since 2001.
When we think of those with caring duties, we often think of parents with long-term conditions. However, children and young people from certain communities or with family members who have specific challenges face added barriers in being recognised, identified and supported.
Young Carers Action Day is an annual campaign to shine a light on and raise awareness of this often invisible, unseen and unheard group of children and young people. There are many reasons for this including:
- Lack of self-identification through not children and young people not recognising they are a “young carer”, concealing facts, onset or impact of caring role or unaware of support
- Lack of professional awareness and recognition
- Systems that are disjointed and working in silos
- Stigmatised health conditions or disabilities
- Different communities, inequalities and / or cultural barriers
Young Carers from Marginalised Populations
Research on the health needs of newly arrived migrants, whether they have travelled as economic migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, tends to focus on how they interact with external services, how they navigate services and how services can be more inclusive. However, there is little research on the relationship within the family and the sometimes-inevitable change in parent-child dynamics, particularly when the parent is unable to communicate in the local language and relies heavily on the child. While this might not seem a caring duty, it does put the child in a position of responsibility, carrying the consequences of accurately translating information that may be inappropriate or beyond their scope to explain (technical, medical, traumatising).
My mother was one of those children. Arriving in the country aged just 6-years-old, she was frequently the unofficial interpreter for her mother’s doctors appointments. But there is more to it. In certain cultures, there is an expectation or acceptance of this duty, and this can often lead to a lack of self-identification as a carer and under-reporting.
Young children who have journeyed with their parents fleeing conflict or other traumatic circumstances sometime find themselves with other unique responsibilities too. Although families may now be out of danger, we often find that with a huge shift in their day-to-day lives (no job, no study, restricted movement, little control over meals, uncertainty as they await Home Office decisions), people’s mental health can deteriorate further. Without the privacy of separate rooms, children living in temporary accommodation with their families witness the strains upon their family members. Anecdotal stories tell of how children who finally got into school would skip school just to stay with their mother in the hotel accommodation because they were worried about her suicidal ideation.
Another hidden population are those who have caring responsibilities for people with stigmatised conditions (addictions, caring whilst parent in prison). In some cases, this has involved children being pressured into collecting drugs/paraphernalia for their parents. This adds an additional burden of shame and fear meaning that again, there can be under-reporting. You can find out more about Young Carers of Parents who Misuse Substances here.
Then there are those whose caring responsibilities are hidden because the family member’s needs might be less apparent e.g. offering emotional support to parents and siblings due to financial stress. We know that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting families up and down the country, unpaid carers are facing unprecedented difficulties and in 2021/22 31% of people with disabilities were in poverty. This was even higher (38%) for people with a long-term, limiting mental health condition. Parental responses to stressors will differ from person to person and sometimes this can mean that the child becomes the natural go-to for venting or comforting.
The magnitude of these responsibilities cannot be underestimated. School attendance aside, this places great pressure on children and young people’s wellbeing. That’s not to say that they shouldn’t be able to care for their family members if that’s what they want to do, but they should know that there is support for them to call on, to take respite and to feel heard. Legislation is in place to protect young carers from taking on inappropriate, excessive or caring duties that negatively impact their life opportunities, health or wellbeing, but sadly many children and young people are unaware.
Currently, not all services routinely screen for or carry out young carers needs assessments and professionals should not shy away from or be afraid to ask children, young people and families. A family approach should be adopted, and further work across the system needs to be done to ensure increased recognition and identification of unpaid carers of all ages.
What can I do to help?
As a takeaway, we’d like readers of this blog to take a look at the QNI’s Supporting Carers webpage and ask yourself and your team what you do to identify young carers.
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