Take better care of the UK's young carers

Within this debate it is important to highlight the particular needs of young carers, of which there are reckoned to be 175,000, some of whom care for over 50 hours per week. Young carers provide support in families with a range of problems, including physical or mental ill health. While the challenges young carers face are gaining more recognition, more still needs to be done to support these young people. The most recent survey of young carers shows there has been some improvement in school attendance. Evidence from projects of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers highlight the difficulties that still prevail, which include falling asleep in class and experience of bullying and isolation from peers.

Work from the Social Care Institute for Excellence points out that young carers are more common in single-parent households, families who suffer social exclusion and enjoy little support from other relations and those with unemployed parents or on low incomes. All this reinforces the importance of ensuring that support reaches those who are "hard to reach".

Newcastle Young Carers Project has done this in its work to develop new strategies for young people. Working with a group who have not accessed help before, the project started with a blank sheet of paper and asked them how they wanted to be supported before looking at how services could deliver this. One clear request was that young people wanted to know there was someone at school who would be able to help them. The project worked with the local authority and school improvement partners to develop policies to explore how schools could support young carers better. It is also working on a DVD that young carers will use to help deliver training to professionals, thus ensuring that the work of the project continues to improve the services and support available to young carers.

Meanwhile, the Hillingdon Space Project is aimed at young people who support people with substance misuse problems. The project was set up in response to concern that these young people required particular support in recognition of their role. Turning good intentions of support into services that are successful in meeting need means extra effort must go into hearing the voices of young carers. Both these examples show that with sustained effort and commitment it is possible.

- Anne Longfield is chief executive of 4Children.Email anne.longfield@haymarket.com.