ABSTRACT
The 2001 census found 175,000 young carers in the UK of which 5,000 were aged between five and seven. Many of these will have significant unmet need. Out of these, 72 per cent cook and clean; over 50 per cent provide general care; 20 per cent help with intimate care such as showering and toileting (www.barnardos.org.uk). Research shows that most young carers are aged between eleven and fifteen; most are girls and over half live in oneparent families. Only about one in 10 had been assessed by social services (The Children’s Society and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, 2002).
