THE YOUNG CARERS COVENANT

There are around one million young carers aged 17 or under in the UK. And there are a further 600,000 young adult carers aged 18-25.

Caring for a family member can have a huge impact on a child’s mental health and wellbeing, as well as their ability to learn and future life chances. Shockingly, 50,000 young carers are spending as many as 50 hours a week on their caring role. Many young carers feel they are missing out on large parts of their childhood and education. Others feel overwhelmed by the level of responsibility.

It’s time we all came together to make a change and create a fair future for young carers. The Young Carers Covenant will help us do exactly that.

What is the Young Carers Covenant?

The Young Carers Covenant is a UK-wide commitment to young carers and young adult carers.

It sets out ten key outcomes that young carers from across the UK have said are key to improving their lives.

Any organisation or individual in a position to take action to help achieve these outcomes is urged to sign up to the Covenant. They could be national governments, local authorities, schools, colleges as well as parliamentarians across the UK.

It was drawn up by Carers Trust and members of the Young Carers Alliance. The Young Carers Covenant was launched on Young Carers Action Day 2024.

Sign up to the Young Carers Covenant

#YoungCarersActionDay