The inquiry, led by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on young carers and young adult carers, found that 15,000 children spend 50 hours or more a week looking after family members.
The increased time spent caring can impact life outcomes due to the lack of support on offer for young carers. For example, it found that young carers miss on average 27 days of school a year.
The inquiry, supported by the Carers Trust, also revealed that there are an estimated one million young carers in the UK subject to a ‘postcode lottery’ of support, as many are not being identified by schools or local authorities. Some young people are being left to cope alone for 10 years, and the average wait time to get support is three years.
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