Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, speaking on Young Carers Awareness Day, said:
“Young Carers Awareness Day shines a light on the lives of many thousands of young carers looking after siblings or parents. The contribution young carers make to others every day is remarkable. Yet it is still the case that far too many are not even being identified, and those who are simply do not receive the help they need.
“We know the pressures on these often very vulnerable children are enormous and the impact on their own education and welfare can be significant. There needs to be better peer support networks and we need to make sure local authorities have the resources needed to work more closely with primary and secondary schools to identify and refer potential cases as early as possible.
“The young carers I have met spend hours doing important tasks like shopping, cooking and cleaning, willingly and without complaint. Too often though they are having to cope alone. We should have systems in place to identify and to support them when they need it most.”