Ed Davey writes to Keir Starmer calling for a ‘Young Carers Lead’ in every school
EMBARGO: 22:30 Tuesday 17th December
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has written to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling for more support for young carers, including a Young Carers’ Lead in every school responsible for ensuring they receive extra support.
Ed Davey is also calling for funding to be given to local authorities to allow young carers the chance to take regular breaks from caring, warning many were “exhausted and overwhelmed.”
Caring responsibilities can have a serious impact on young people’s education. Figures have revealed that 39% of young carers are persistently absent from school, almost double the rate of children without caring responsibilities. Young adult carers are also four times more likely to drop out of college or university, and are significantly less likely to gain a degree or enter employment.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for every school and college to be required to appoint a dedicated Young Carers’ Lead, to help identify young carers and give them extra support to balance their caring responsibilities with their education. This could include supporting pupils to do their homework during the school day or providing staff with tailored advice on how best to support young carers.
Ed Davey was a young carer himself, caring for his mother when she fell ill with cancer and then his grandmother while growing up. He now cares for his severely disabled son John.
Ed has released a Christmas Single, ‘Love is Enough,’ written by a group of carers and young carers. The song aims to raise awareness of the challenges facing young carers as well as the bond they share with the loved ones they look after. All profits will go to the Carers Trust and Bath Philharmonia.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
“Young carers do such an incredible job, making big sacrifices and overcoming huge challenges every day to look after their loved ones.
“But too often young carers feel exhausted and overwhelmed, struggling to balance their education with their caring responsibilities.
“I am urging Keir Starmer to give young carers the extra help they need to thrive, from breaks from caring to dedicated support at school.
“This Christmas is a chance to shine a spotlight on the incredible work of young carers across our country and give them the opportunities they deserve.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Love is Enough by Bath Philharmonia Young Carers’ Choir feat. Ed Davey is available to download here https://linktr.ee/love.is.enough
The Department for Education’s latest full-year statistics on pupil absence in schools in England show that “39.0% of pupils identified as young carers were persistently absent in 2022/23, compared to 21.1% for those who had no young carer status declared.”
Full text of letter can be found below
Dear Prime Minister,
Thank you for inviting the Bath Philharmonia Young Carers’ Choir to Number 10 this week. We felt that we were there representing young carers across the country, and it was an experience that we will never forget.
More than 1.6 million young people across the UK are looking after family members with long-term disabilities, illnesses or addiction. Young carers and young adult carers do an incredible job against tough challenges, and we are writing to urge the Government to do far more to recognise and support them.
Looking after someone you love can be rewarding and full of love, but it can also be overwhelming and exhausting. Many young carers can feel isolated. Many don’t have the chance to take a break from their caring responsibilities.
Caring responsibilities can also make it very hard for young carers to get the education they need to get on in life. Studies have found that young carers have significantly lower attainment at school – the equivalent to nine grades lower at GCSE than other pupils – while 39% of young carers are persistently absent, missing at least one day of school a fortnight. Young adult carers are four times more likely to drop out of college or university, and are significantly less likely to gain a degree or enter employment.
However, young carers also develop a unique combination of skills as a result of their caring role: empathy, resilience and time-management. They have so much to offer, and they deserve far more support – more help with caring at home and extra support at school – to give them genuine opportunities to realise their potential.
We are therefore writing to urge you to work across government to provide more support for young carers, including:
Giving every young carer the chance to take breaks from caring, with proper funding to local authorities to make this happen.
Requiring every school and college to appoint a Young Carers’ Lead, responsible for ensuring that young carers get the support they need.
Proactively supporting the Young Carers Covenant, published by Carers Trust in March 2024, and setting out plans to deliver on its ten outcomes that young carers have said are most important to their lives.
Projects for young carers, such as Bath Philharmonia’s work with young carers to help them build personal confidence and supportive relationships through creating and performing their own music, can make an enormous difference. We hope you will agree that every young carer, in every part of the country, should have access to opportunities like that.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Ed Davey
Former young carer, MP for Kingston and Surbiton and Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Simone Homes
Executive Director
Bath Philharmonia