Pupils miss school to care for family

Children in Scotland as young as five are missing school to care for relatives with disabilities or problems ranging from mental illness to alcoholism and drug abuse.

Interim research into 'hidden' carers published last week by the Princess Royal Trust Carers Centre in Perth and Kinross identified 200 young carers in that area alone.

A survey of secondary and primary schools found that children aged 12 formed the largest group of carers. More than 25 per cent of carers were missing school.

According to the 2001 census there are 17,000 young carers in Scotland. But the Trust said that figure is likely to under-represent the true number, because of ignorance of what constitutes a young carer and because people may be reluctant to label themselves or their child as such.

As a guide, the research defined a young carer as 'anyone under the age of 18 whose childhood is affected because of the need to take responsibility for the care and/or support of a person who is ill, has a disability, is experiencing mental distress or is affected by substance misuse.'

Louise McDonald, the Trust's newly appointed Scottish young carers' services development co-ordinator, said that although statistics for the number of very young children are 'sparse' there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that many children become carers at a very early age.

She said it was often difficult to identify young carers. 'Many children will try very hard to keep this side of their life private,' she said, because they are aware that there is something 'different' about their family situation but anxious about what will happen if the problem becomes known.

She described the case known to one young carers' project of an eight-year-old who was so worried that her alcoholic mother would lose her job stacking shelves in a supermarket that she regularly followed her to work.

Patricia Hess, a spokeswoman for the Trust, said, 'If you speak to a carer at the age of ten, some of them will say that they have been caring from as young as six years old.'

Ms McDonald said it was important to develop a school-focused approach. 'The earlier we can recognise young carers the more effectively we can support them.'

Signs for teachers to look out for include the absence of parents at parents' evenings, a child regularly being late or missing school, problems with homework and unexplained ongoing tiredness and illness. More information from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers is at www.youngcarers.net.