Young carers in England: Findings from the 2018 BBC survey on the prevalence and nature of caring among young people

Joseph, Stephen; Kendall, Claire; Toher, Deirdre; Sempik, Joe; Holland, Jennifer; Becker, Saul

Abstract

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Background: Many young people are involved in caring for parents, siblings, or other relatives who have an illness or disability. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of caring by young people in England. Method: A national survey of 925 English young people was conducted using the 18-item survey version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Caring Activities Checklist for Young Carers. Results: Around 7% of young people were identified as doing at least a high amount of caring activity and 3% a very high amount. Most frequently, caring by a young person is for a mother or a sibling, with a physical disability. Caring activity consisted mostly of domestic activities, household management, and emotional care. Conclusion: This study provides the most up to date and methodologically sophisticated survey data on the prevalence of young caring in England, with implications for policy and practice.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 12, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Apr 17, 2019
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 5, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 18, 2020
• Journal: Child: Care, Health and Development
• Print ISSN: 0305-1862
• Electronic ISSN: 1365-2214
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 606-612
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12674
• Keywords: BBC, England, MACA‐YC18, Multidimensional Assessment of Caring Activities, young carers
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/845878
• Publisher URL: http://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12674
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Joseph, S., Kendall, C., Toher, D., Sempik, J., Holland, J. and Becker, S. (2019) Young carers in England: Findings from the 2018 BBC survey on the prevalence and nature of caring among young people. Child: Care, Health and Development, 45 (4). pp. 606-612. ISSN 0305-1862], which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12674. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
• Contract Date: Jun 5, 2019