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, Jen; Becker, Saul

Abstract

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 (MACA-YC18).
Results. Around 7% of young people were identified as doing 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.

Citation

Joseph, S., Kendall, C., Toher, D., Sempik, J., Holland, J., & 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), 606-612. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12674

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 12, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Apr 17, 2019
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Apr 18, 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: Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1829432
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cch.12674
• Additional Information: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Joseph, S, Kendall, C, Toher, D, Sempik, J, Holland, J, Becker, S. Young carers in England: Findings from the 2018 BBC survey on the prevalence and nature of caring among young people. Child Care Health Dev. 2019 which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.