GREENS URGE FM TO PRESS AHEAD WITH YOUNG CARERS ALLOWANCE
A new study published by the Children and Young Peoples Commissioner explores the mental health and wellbeing of young carers in Scotland— and reveals that more than one in four are doing the caring on their own.
The study – Coping is difficult, but I feel proud: Perspectives on mental health and wellbeing of young carers – is the first of its kind in Scotland to match young carers and their perceptions of their health and wellbeing against a comparable sample of young people without caring responsibilities.
The study, which surveyed 238 young carers across Scotland, was commissioned in partnership with Carers Trust Scotland with the support of Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance. It was conducted by a team from Blake Stevenson along with two associates from the University of St Andrews’ Health Behaviour in School Aged Children study.
The study found that – perhaps unsurprisingly – young carers with the highest caring responsibilities:
- tend to report more negative health effects than those with lower levels of caring,
- are generally less happy,
- report more stress-related issues, and
- are more likely to report sleep difficulties.
Other findings from the study include that:
- one in four young carers are looking after more than one person in their household,
- being a young carer is not all negative— young carers have greater feelings of self-worth than their counterparts who do not have caring responsibilities,
- young carers are in a lower socioeconomic group when compared with their counterparts who do not have caring responsibilities.
The most common activity reported by young carers relates to spending time with the person they care for, followed by undertaking household tasks. 40% of young carers have to either dress or undress the person they care for at least occasionally, while financial and more intimate caring tasks are undertaken less frequently. Also, just over half – 51 percent – of young carers reported having to at least occasionally help at some point during the night.
The Commissioner said: “In comparing the day-to-day lives of young carers in Scotland with those who don’t have caring responsibilities, this report shows that those with the highest caring responsibilities are more at risk in terms of their mental health and wellbeing, which can have a knock-on effect on other parts of their lives.
“It’s therefore vital that the new mental health strategy, which is due to be published by Scottish Government, ensures that all young people, especially young carers, have access to appropriate mental health services.”
Caring and mental health
Many young carers felt positive about – and took pride in – their caring role, feeling that it contributed to their self-esteem. Even so, although many reported having numerous friends, around two-thirds said they felt “left out of things” at least some of the time.
Dr Ross Whitehead, HSBC Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews, said: “The report reveals both the positive and negative aspects of being a young carer. The positive includes an apparent ability for caring responsibilities to boost a young carer’s overall life satisfaction, which may ‘override’ the otherwise negative impact of young carers’ socioeconomic background.
“However, it also reveals that young carers have a significantly higher incidence of psychosomatic symptoms like headaches and low mood. Separate analysis revealed that within the group of young carers, it is those with the greatest number of caring responsibilities that are most susceptible to these symptoms.”
School, support and services
Support services provide essential networks for young carers. Just over a quarter of respondents had accessed counselling support in the past year, although the quality of that support was not explored within the research.
The survey also indicated that being able to talk to someone who really listens and understands their situation is important to coping, as well as having time away from caring to do fun things— such as attending young carers’ groups.
Karen Martin, Mental Health Development Coordinator at Carers Trust, working with Scottish Young Carer Services Alliance, said: “One aspect of the report which we were pleased to note was the importance which younger carers placed on school in their life. This may be because it is a place where they can get a break from caring or because it offers the opportunity to be with other young people.
“Either way, it gives much needed impetus for improving and increased partnership working between school and young carers’ services, to make sure the most vulnerable aren’t being missed.”
More responsibility, less satisfaction
Although the overall group of young carers rated life satisfaction fairly positively, there was less satisfaction shown by those with the highest level of caring responsibilities.
The Commissioner commented: “Although one of the main points of this study was to compare the mental health and wellbeing of young carers with those who don’t have caring responsibilities, it has also clearly demonstrated that young carers are not a homogenous group.
“Young carers have differing needs. It might depend on the level of care they provide and their own personal resilience, but we must make sure that they are supported by ensuring limited resources are targeted at those who care the most.”
A Scottish Green MSP has challenged the Scottish Government to introduce a Young Carer Allowance after a report (above) revealed that young carers tend to “live in more deprived circumstances than the average young population”.
Soon after the election in May 2016, the First Minister said she would “consider the introduction of a young carers allowance”, a Scottish Greens’ manifesto commitment, adding that it “has real merit”.
The report by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland details how there are 29,000 young carers in Scotland who are responsible for “practical and /or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult”.
Alison Johnstone MSP, the Scottish Greens’ health and young people spokesperson, said: “This report demonstrates that young carers both need and deserve extra financial help through the introduction of a Young Carer Allowance. The young carers in the CYPCS study are almost twice as likely to live in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland than the average young person.
“Whilst the study finds caring to be a generally positive experience, the survey shows young carers face a range of challenges around their health and wellbeing, and better support packages, including financial support, could play a role in helping young carers cope with those challenges.”
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