More than half of young carers aren’t getting the breaks they need, alarming survey finds

Young carers take open top bus to Westminster on Young Carers Action Day to call on MPs and decision-makers for more support

• Almost a quarter of young carers say no one else can provide the care they do
• Two-fifths worry too much about the person they care for to take a break
• 72% miss out on the school holidays, nearly half miss out on friendships and almost one in five say they’re missing time out of their education

More than half of young carers can’t get a regular break from caring, while almost a quarter say there’s no one else to provide the care they do, an alarming survey has found.

The findings have been released by Carers Trust for Young Carers Action Day on 12 March. The time young carers spend on their caring role mean young carers often miss out on education, friendships, holidays and many other things their classmates take for granted, the survey showed.

The survey of 423 young and young adult carers found nearly one in five rarely or never get a break (17%), while 40% said they got one only some of the time. Just 15% said they could take a break whenever they wanted.

Asked what stopped them getting a break, almost a quarter (23%) said there was no one else to provide the care they give. Two-fifths (40%) said they worried too much about the person they care for to take time out from looking after them.

One young carer said: “I feel bad for taking breaks and when I have time for myself I’m always thinking that I could be doing something else to help out. It’s isolating because I can’t meet up with friends. I can text but it’s just not the same. Everyone’s planning their holidays and trips but I know I can’t go on holiday.”

Almost three-quarters of young carers (72%) said they miss out on the holidays because they provide care, the survey showed.

Many also felt they were shut out of a lot of the things most other children get to do. Nearly half (49%) miss out on friendships, and 46% on hobbies. Almost two-thirds (65%) said they lacked time to themselves and nearly one in five (19%) felt they were missing their education.

Young Carers Action Day is an annual campaign organised by Carers Trust with its network of local carer organisations.

It aims to highlight the challenges faced by the UK’s one million young carers (under-18s) and the hundreds of thousands of young adult carers aged 18-25. At least 16,000 young carers in the UK, some just five years old, are caring for 50 hours a week or more, according to the most recent census data.

This year the theme of Young Carers Action Day is “Give Me A Break”. It was chosen by young carers themselves to show their need for respite but also to be given a chance in life by schools, employers and politicians.

Carers Trust is calling on the UK Government to ensure all young carers have access to a properly funded break from their caring role. Politicians, education providers, employers and other organisations are also being asked to sign the Young Carers Covenant, a pledge to help young carers improve their lives.

Kirsty McHugh, Carers Trust’s CEO, said: “Across the UK, children as young as five are spending huge amounts of their free time caring for others. We know this can have a devastating effect on their education, wellbeing and future prospects. It is simply wrong that, as a country, we are asking so many children to take on so much.

“Those in power need to give young carers a break. If we want young people to thrive, as well as those for which they care, we need to give these young people the chance to take time out from their caring duties.”

The Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “As Children’s Commissioner, I know from speaking to young carers that they provide essential support to their family members and take on extra responsibilities to look after their loved ones, sometimes at a cost to their own education.

“Young carers often have to navigate extremely challenging circumstances alone without extra support, which can have a big impact on their lives and wellbeing.”

“I am collecting evidence from schools and colleges about how they support young carers in their own settings, to build a national picture of how these children’s extra responsibilities are being recognised. We should be no less ambitious for young carers than we are for all children.”

On Young Carers Action Day, Carers Trust will be giving a group of young carers a break by taking them on an open top bus tour in London. The bus will be stopping at Westminster where politicians are being invited to hop aboard, meet the children and hear their concerns directly.

The day before, young carers from Hartlepool Carers Centre will hand in a letter to 10 Downing Street. It will ask for the Prime Minister’s support for the Young Carers Covenant and cross-government action to improve opportunities for young and young adult carers.

In Scotland, there will be a mass gathering of young carers at Holyrood where they will meet MSPs, share their experiences and call for more support.

There will also be a roundtable discussion with decision-makers about better access to breaks for young carers. A Young Carer Action Day Parliamentary Debate will take place in the Scottish Parliament Chamber with over 100 young carers in attendance.

In Wales, Carers Trust’s Youth Council of young carers supported by local carer organisations across the country will join together at the Senedd.

They’ll be quizzing MSs about how they can work towards a country where young carers are supported to access the short breaks they need and they’ll have a chance to hear from former young carers about the breaks they’ve had in life in their careers and education. 

For the fifth year in a row, creative arts charity Create and Carers Trust are partnering for a special showcase of artwork made by young carers during four Young Carers Action Day 2025 projects. These have taken place across the four nations of the UK.

The online showcase is on the “Give Me a Break” theme and highlights the importance of giving young carers time off from their caring responsibilities to look after their own wellbeing.

This year’s showcase will feature puppetry, photography, prints and collages specifically created for the day by young people in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.