The number of young carers in rural areas could be greatly underestimated, according to a new report.
The Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service, which runs the Princess Royal Young Carers Project in the region, has identified a large number of young people in rural areas who could be classed as carers but who it wasn't aware of. It undertook a survey after finding the number of young carers it supported did not correspond with the national average.
In the 2001 national census, there were 16,700 young carers in Scotland, or one child in every 40. Based on those figures there should have been 440 in Perth and Kinross, but the association's Young Carers Project supports only 42 young people and has another 26 on its waiting list. Additionally, 63 per cent of young carers live in the Perth City district, but it only accounts for 32 per cent of the region's population, so the association undertook a survey in six rural secondary schools.
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