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Supporting young carers in education
Download the Supporting Young Carers in Education booklet 2025 (PDF)
Research suggests that around 7% of young people in Scotland have caring responsibilities. It is likely that this is an underestimate as not all young carers will recognise themselves as a young carer or identify as one.
The research shows that being a young carer tends to be associated with poorer health and well-being and suggests that young carers may face challenges in participating in social activities and may feel isolated as a result. Caring may also adversely affect some young carers education particularly in terms of attendance, tiredness levels and concentration, and even bullying.
Educational settings and practitioners can be a valuable source of support for young carers and evidence suggests that children and young people engaged in young carer support projects feel recognised, supported and valued. Please encourage young carers to identify themselves to schools by sharing this video of a young adult carer and a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament with your pupils. Also please put this poster to up in staff rooms.
This resource will help practitioners recognise young carers and provides ideas about how they can effectively support them. This resource is a useful reference for whole staff or individual professional learning.
Who are young carers?
A young carer is someone under 18 (or 18 but still at school) who helps look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled or misuses drugs or alcohol. They can also have emotional as well as practical caring responsibilities. The level of responsibility that is sometimes placed on young carers would normally be associated with that of an adult.
What do young carers do?
- Domestic activities - cleaning, laundry, washing
- Household management - food shopping, lifting, cooking
- Financial and practical management - withdrawing cash, paying bills
- Personal care - washing, bathing and giving medication
- Emotional care - making sure the person they care for is okay
- Sibling care - looking after a brother or sister
- Act as communication brokers for the cared for person, for example, those with language barriers
Some young carers look after more than one person and may have health issues of their own. Some young carers start giving care at a very young age and don’t know they are carers. Other young people become carers overnight.
Hidden young carers
Often the condition of the person they care for is not obvious so people don’t think that the young person needs any help and/or the young carer:
- does not realise that they are a carer or that their life is different to their peers
- does not want to be any different from their peers or draw attention to their caring role
- wants to keep their identity at school/college separate from their caring role
- does not feel they can discuss with their friends
- has not had an opportunity to share their story
- is worried about bullying
- is worried that the family will be split up and that they will be taken into care
- wants to keep caring a secret and/or are embarrassed.
Impact on the young carers - the positives
- feel closer to their family
- sense of responsibility
- learning new skills
- feel proud about the person they are.
Impact on the young carers - the negatives
- lack of time for play, leisure or sport
- difficulties in making and maintaining friendships
- feeling isolated and feeling that no one else understands
- high levels of stress and anxiety.
Impact on the young carers education
- struggle to complete homework
- bullying
- difficulties in attending after school activities
- difficulty concentrating in class
- low self-esteem and confidence
- often late or miss full days at school.
In addition to these factors young carers can:
- be distracted (for example, checking their phone often)
- be quiet/withdrawn
- be secretive about their home life
- get no time at home to study due to hectic or chaotic home life
- lack support for school activities such as parents nights/open days
- feel pressured to remain in a caring role and not progress onto further education.
Be aware - notice young carers, get to know them, support them
- You Tube: Perth and Kinross Young Carers Awareness Podcast 2020
- Education Scotland Professional Learning webpage
Raise awareness – promote self-declaration
- Share this film with your learners in a PSE class or assembly to encourage young carers to identify themselves
Change the narrative – celebrate young carers and the valuable work that they do
Be creative - in how we support young carers
Listen - encourage young carers to have their say
- Children’s Parliament Survey – report summary
- Carers Trust Scotland Survey – Being a Young Carer Is not a Choice
- You-tube: A Message to Decision Makers
Stay connected - proactively engage young carers and their parents
Plan ahead - for emergency situations and family support
- Exemplar: Personalised Emergency Information Sheet
- Exemplar: Perth and Kinross – Young carers ID Card
- Signposting to Family Support Helplines
The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 was designed to support carers’ health and wellbeing and help make caring more sustainable. The Act was implemented effect from 1 April, 2018 and measures include:
- a duty for local authorities to provide support to carers, based on the carer’s identified needs which meet the local eligibility criteria
- a Young Carer Statement to identify carers’ needs and personal outcomes
- a requirement for local authorities to have an information and advice service for carers which provides information and advice on, amongst other things, emergency and future care planning, advocacy, income maximisation and carers’ rights
The key provisions are summarised in the Carers' charter which sets out carers' rights under the Act.
Further relevant legislation and guidance:
Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004
Additional support for learning 2017 (Code of Practice)
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024
Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1
Children Missing from Education
Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1
Responsible authorities must offer a ‘Young Carer Statement’ to anyone they identify as a young carer. For any young carer who accepts this offer they must prepare a statement which should contain information about the young carer’s circumstances and caring role such as:-
- the nature and extent of the care provided and the impact on the young carers wellbeing and day-to-day life
- the extent to which the young carer is able and willing to provide care
- whether the responsible authority thinks that it is appropriate for the young carer to be a carer for the person they care for
- emergency and future care planning, including any arrangements that are in place
- what 'personal outcomes' matter to the young carer in order continue to provide care, where that is appropriate, to have a life alongside caring, and to improve their health and wellbeing
- support available if they live in a different local authority are from the person you care for
- whether support should be provided as a break from caring
- support available locally
- any support which the responsible authority intends to provide to the young carer
- the circumstances in which the Young Carer Statement is to be reviewed.
When a young carer turns 18 their statement will continue until they are provided with an adult carer support plan. If they do not wish to continue providing care, they can choose not to have an adult carer support plan.
Who is responsible for preparing the Young Carer Statement?
The 'responsible authority' can be:-
- education, social work or a commissioned service
- the health board – where a young carer is a pre-school child
- another local authority – where a young carer attends a local authority school away from the area they normally live or
- the young carer's grant-aided school or independent school
Your local authority will be able to tell you who is leading on Young Carer Statements for your area (COSLA – Links to Local Authorities). When and how the young carer statement conversation is to take place will be agreed with the young carer. The responsible authority will normally provide a copy of the young carer statement to the young carer and any other person that the young carer requests, unless there is a reason that the responsible authority decide this would not be appropriate. For example, it might not be considered appropriate (or there may not be consent) to share sensitive medical information about the person who is cared for.
Films
Carers Week: What’s it like to be a Young carer?
Scottish Young Carer’s Festival 2024
Things teachers need to know about young carers
The importance of respite for young carers
Young carer Thomas, 11, shares his caring story and highlights How important breaks are
Young carers support in Education
Life Transitions After School for Young Carers
Scottish Young Carers Festival 2024 | A Message To Decision Makers
Professional learning
Carer’s Trust Young Carers in Education Toolkit
Education Scotland Professional Learning webpage
Young Carer Mental Health Toolkit
A resource on Identifying and Supporting Young carers in Education
Signposting
Young carers mental health toolkit
Example of Local Authority Young Carers Policy (South Ayrshire)
Young Carer Grant: Questions and Answers
The carer's trust Scotland Digital Education Hub links to local supports services.
Shared Care Scotland offer local Information for carers.
Ideas for providing family support and engaging and supporting young carers
Signposting to Family Support Helplines
Research and data
Young carers: review of research and data – Scottish research
There’s nobody is there – no one who can actually help?
Scottish Young Carers Festival 2024 Report
Children’s Parliament Survey Read the report summary.
Young carers in school challenge
Carers Trust Scotland - links to national and local authority supports
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