LETTER: No child should cope alone

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Every day at least 195,000 children across the UK sacrifice their time to take care of loved ones at home.

While their peers are out playing and having fun being children, they’re busy providing physical and emotional support to a family member.

Finding time to do their homework alongside household chores, such as cooking and cleaning can be difficult, and some also have to help manage the family’s bills.

Unsurprisingly, many of these children and young people are deeply affected by their role and struggle to juggle their education and caring responsibilities.

More than half of young carers’ parents say their children have missed school. They’re also more likely to suffer from mental health issues and report having trouble making friends at school.

At Barnardo’s we give these children and young people the support they need through our young carers’ services so they realise they’re not alone.

Here they meet other young people in the same situation as themselves, get the professional support they need, and have a precious few hours every week to enjoy being children again.

We let them know they don’t have to cope with the pressures of a caring role on their own. This is crucial as we believe children should never be in a situation where they’re unsupported and overwhelmed.