Information for Professionals working with Young Carers
Our Shared Responsibility to Young Carers
For anyone who works with or supports young people.
Every organisation that works with children and young people has a responsibility to recognise, understand and support young carers.
Whether in education, health, social care, youth work, or the voluntary sector, all professionals should:
Be alert to the possibility of caring responsibilities and create safe opportunities for young people to disclose.
Listen and respond without judgement, recognising the strengths and pressures young carers may experience.
Assess impact, not just circumstance — understanding how caring affects wellbeing, attendance, achievement and development.
Make reasonable adjustments to reduce disadvantage and remove barriers to participation.
Work collaboratively with families and partner agencies to ensure coordinated and consistent support.
Safeguard young carers, ensuring they are not undertaking inappropriate or harmful levels of care.
Promote aspiration and opportunity, ensuring caring does not limit future life chances.
Supporting young carers is not the responsibility of one service alone. It requires a whole-system approach built on early identification, partnership working and a shared commitment to inclusion, safeguarding and wellbeing.
Responsibilities of Education Stakeholders for Young Carers
Schools, colleges and wider education partners play a vital role in identifying and supporting young carers to ensure they can thrive in education.
Education stakeholders should:
Identify young carers early and create safe opportunities for disclosure.
Appoint a named lead or champion for young carers within the setting.
Provide tailored support to address barriers to attendance, attainment and wellbeing.
Make reasonable adjustments where caring responsibilities impact punctuality, homework, participation or behaviour.
Work closely with families, local authorities and specialist young carer services to ensure coordinated support.
Promote an inclusive culture where young carers feel understood, valued and not stigmatised.
Under safeguarding duties and inclusion frameworks, education providers are expected to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group and take proactive steps to ensure their caring role does not limit their educational opportunities or future life chances.
Ofsted views young carers as a group that needs to be identified and supported within schools’ inclusive practice. Emerging inspection frameworks explicitly include young carers as part of inclusion criteria, meaning schools’ approaches to identifying and supporting them can influence inspection findings. The emphasis is on ensuring young carers access equitable education and support without lowered aspirations
Ofsted’s upcoming school inspection framework (from around late 2025) places inclusion at the core, and young carers are now explicitly referenced as part of that inclusion focus. Inspectors will look at whether schools identify young carers and provide appropriate support so they can attend, participate and achieve in education.
Ofsted wants schools to show supportive practice
Inspectors will expect schools to:
identify young carers and understand their needs,
provide tailored support for attendance, wellbeing and learning,
ensure that they are not disadvantaged compared with their peers.
Local Authority Responsibilities for Young Carers
Local authorities have a legal duty to identify, assess and support young carers to ensure their wellbeing, safety and educational development are protected.
They must:
Identify young carers early through health, education and social care services.
Carry out a Young Carer’s Needs Assessment where caring responsibilities may impact a child’s wellbeing, education or development.
Provide or commission appropriate support, including early help, short breaks, emotional support and family services.
Work in partnership with schools, health services and voluntary organisations to ensure coordinated support.
Safeguard young carers and prevent them from experiencing harm or disadvantage because of their caring role.
Under legislation including the Children Act and the Care Act 2014, local authorities must ensure that no child’s life chances are limited because they are caring for someone at home.
The Role of the Voluntary Sector in Supporting Young Carers
Voluntary and community organisations play a crucial role in identifying, supporting and advocating for young carers within local communities.
The voluntary sector often:
Provides specialist young carer services, including one-to-one support, peer groups and safe spaces.
Delivers short breaks and respite activities to reduce isolation and improve wellbeing.
Offers emotional support, mentoring and confidence-building programmes.
Advocates for young carers’ rights, ensuring their voices are heard in education, health and social care systems.
Works in partnership with local authorities, schools and health services to coordinate support.
Raises awareness within communities to improve identification and reduce stigma.
Contributes to local commissioning and strategy development, using lived experience and frontline insight to shape policy and provision.
While statutory bodies hold legal duties, the voluntary sector often provides the relational, flexible and community-based support that enables young carers to feel understood, valued and empowered.