Definitions of a young carer vary but the most appropriate ones consider that care provided must either be:

• significant and more appropriate for an adult and/or
• substantial and regular and/or
• restricting the young person's life, and/or
• given in the absence of formal/informal support

Dearden.C and Becker.S in 1998 surveyed 2,303 young carers from 69 young carers' Projects.

• The average age for young carers was 12
• 54% young carers lived in single parent families
• 58% cared for their mother
• 1 in 3 regularly missed school or had educational difficulties because of their caring role
• 63% cared for a relative with physical health problems
• 29% cared for a relative with mental health problems
• 1 in 5 provided intimate care
• 1 in 4 had no external support (other than through their local young carers' project)

This information is taken from:
Unseen and Unheard'- based on the work of the Carers Lewisham Young Carers' School Development Project

http://www.carers.org/docs/PRTC_Lewisham.pdf

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