Teachers Fear Young Carers Are Falling Through Net

From the age of seven, Andrew Dudgeon has looked after his ailing mother and father, providing vital practical support as well as much needed emotional care. As well as his daily schoolwork, Andrew, now 15, is responsible for running the house, coping with the regular chores his parents are unable to carry out.

His situation is not unique – some studies estimate there may be at least 100,000 carers aged between 13 and 15 in Scotland.

Now a report, published yesterday by the children’s charity Barnardo’s, has revealed 94 per cent of Scottish teachers are concerned that young carers are falling through the net. It also found 87 per cent of the teachers surveyed believed young carers deliberately decided not to inform social services of their situations, fearing that their families might be broken up.

“These children are forced to give up their childhood so that they can care for a parent, brother or sister who is seriously ill,” Hugh Mackintosh, the director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said.

Apart from the regular household duties, Andrew, from Falkirk, also ensures his mother, Maureen, 38, who has been suffering from depression for more than eight years, also receives the emotional care she needs.

He said: “Before I go to school, I make sure my parents are OK, that they have everything they need. When I come back, I do physical tasks mainly. I do the shopping, the cleaning, a bit of cooking and sometimes I look after the garden.

“My dad Kenny’s got thrombosis in his legs, so, because he’s got sore legs and can’t stand up too long, I do the ironing as well.

“I usually finish all the work at about ten in the evening and sometimes I can feel quite tired in the morning when I go to school.”

The survey also showed 57 per cent of the teachers questioned thought the system designed to identify and support young carers in schools was not effective enough.

Christine Grahame, an SNP MSP for South of Scotland, said young carers should be encouraged to talk openly about their problems. She said: “There has to be a great deal of thought, particularly in identifying the carers.

“There is a role for guidance teachers to identify a child who is tired at school, and this may be the back of it. There should be some awareness that a child may not be doing the work properly.”

David Eaglesham, the general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, admitted that young carers might often find themselves in difficult situations, but said it would be a difficult task for teachers to identify them.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said that teachers should follow existing guidance in offering support to young carers.

“We know that children and parents can be reluctant to seek help where children provide significant support to their parents,” she said.

“That’s why we highlight signs that school staff may spot, and issues for them to consider in supporting children with a caring role. To support young carers, schools can use home-school link staff to follow up concerns, link effectively to carers’ organisations and projects, and provide additional support for the child’s learning, including working with other agencies to provide the support that the child and family needs.”