Young carers are a forgotten group, often left to fend for
themselves without support from the authorities, inspectors warned
today.
Councils often do not know exactly how many youngsters in their area
are caring for a parent or sibling, the small-scale Ofsted study found.
Those caring for parents with substance abuse problems or mental
health issues are the most likely to fall under the radar, it revealed.
The study surveyed eight local authorities, talking to 50 young
carers, including 37 who care for a disabled parent, in November and
December last year.
These disabilities included mental health problems, drug and alcohol
issues, and serious illnesses as well as physical or sensory
impairments and learning difficulties.
It found that seven of the councils surveyed do not routinely
consider the views of young carers when assessing or providing for the
needs of their parents.
Just three out of 37 young carers said their views had been sought, or had been included in a parent's needs assessment.
Inspectors reported that a "lack of professional awareness" and
families' reluctance to get involved with the authorities were the two
key barriers to identifying more young carers.
Many parents are reluctant because they fear their capacity to
parent their child would be questioned and their family "broken up",
the report said.
It said: "Professionals in all the council areas visited were
concerned about 'hidden' young carers in families where parents had
drug and alcohol problems.
"Professionals reported that, within these families, parents were
often reluctant to accept that their children were fulfilling a caring
role.
"Councils and their partners were unable to estimate how many young carers were in this group."
There are between 250,000 and 350,000 children of problem drug users in the UK, according to a Home Office report from 2003.
Inspectors concluded that overall, councils and their partners have not done enough to identify young carers.
The 2001 Census estimated that 175,000 children and young people are
carers, but the Ofsted report said this is likely to be an
underestimation because many families do not reveal their situation.
Today's study found that the young carers questioned did not object
to their status, with many saying it was part of their normal life.
But many, especially older young carers, said their role had a
negative impact of their school life, saying they were frequently late
or absent and struggled to get work completed on time.
Nine of the 28 carers at school said they had not told their school teachers about their role.
One told the researchers: "Sometimes I am late for school - they
don't remember I am a young carer. Just put up with the detention."
And only 15 of the 50 questioned said they felt their family received enough support.
While young carer support projects exist, there are often waiting lists.
Ofsted chief inspector Christine Gilbert said it was "unacceptable"
that most young carers do not have an assessment of their own needs
carried out by children's social services.
She said: "I hope the report will help professionals to improve the support available for young carers."
A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families
said: ""We are committed to ensuring that every young carer has support
and guidance to help them cope with what can be a really tough job.
Last year we announced an additional £6.45 million to strengthen the
existing framework of support for young carers through the National
Carers strategy.
"Therefore we welcome Ofsted's report, which reinforces many of the
messages on areas for improvement which the Government itself set out
last summer in the strategy. Helpfully, it also acknowledges some of
the good and positive practice developing in local areas."
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