Young carers 'need family support'

Young people should not have to take on care roles for relatives if they cannot handle the extra work, The Princess Royal Trust has said.

Gordon Conochie, policy and parliamentary officer at the trust, said youngsters caring for people with Parkinson's disease and other ailments need support from their families providing respite care.

"Young carers say they want to care for their mum, dad, sibling and with the proper support in place young carers can still provide care and enjoy a childhood and education, but the aforementioned whole family support has to be in place," he added.

The comments follow research carried out by the trust for Carers and the Children's Society, which found that more than half of young carers feel unsupported or misunderstood by their teachers.

Around four in five said teachers at school were not even aware of their roles, prompting the need to raise awareness of this growing sector of people.

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