Young carers do not contact social services for fear of adverse response, say teachers

Almost 80 per cent of teachers believe families with young carers have not identified themselves to social services for fear of an adverse response, a Barnardo’s report published today finds.

A poll of 1,000 teachers also found half thought the system in schools designed to identify young carers were not effective enough.

The report, Hidden Lives, also includes a survey of 83 young carers, which found they waited four years for any support and did 17 hours of caring a week, on average.

To coincide with the report, the charity has launched a publicity campaign to raise awareness of the problems facing the estimated 175,000 young carers.