“This report lays bare the difficulties faced by young carers. Schools do everything they can to support all of their pupils but it’s clear that there is more work to do and we support calls for a National Carers Strategy. Additional training for staff working in education would also be welcome, provided it is backed with necessary funding.
“It is concerning that demand from young carers for external support is outstripping capacity. This mirrors the problems faced by other children’s support services such as CAMHS and adds to a worrying pattern of many young people being unable access the specialist help they require in order to attend school on a regular basis. There needs to be better access to a dedicated range of support across the whole country for young carers and young people in general. Without this support being in place for those who need it, it is very difficult to see how persistent absence rates, which this report shows are particularly high among young people with caring responsibilities, can be substantially brought down.”