‘It's making his bad days into my bad days’: The impact of coronavirus social distancing measures on young carers and young adult carers in the United Kingdom

Andy McGowan,Kate Blake‐Holmes

doi:10.1111/cfs.12877

Abstract

AbstractThe lockdown measures put in place in March 2020 in England to counter the spread of the coronavirus have had significant implications for the lives and well‐being of young carers and young adult carers. In such unprecedented times, little was known about the potential impact on this group and their specific experience of the Covid‐19 lockdown restrictions. A rapid review was conducted, 28 young carers responded to a survey and an additional 20 participants were interviewed in January 2021; the survey was repeated with a further 149 responses. Findings show that the level of care that young carers are required to provide had increased as external agency support for their families had been withdrawn while their own coping strategies had been challenged, in particular through school closures. These restrictions had a significant impact on every aspect of their lives, from their ability to meet their own mental health needs to managing the requirements of home schooling. The needs of young carers should be acknowledged within the political agenda, especially at times of crisis. It is crucial that health and social care services increase their capacity to identify and support young carers and that work is done within educational settings to provide a flexible response to individual needs.

Highlights

A young carer is a person under the age of 18 who provides care to a family member or friend with a physical or mental illness, disability or a substance misuse problem (Cheesbrough et al, 2017)
Consider whether any child living with a parent or family member with long-term physical and/or mental health condition, disability or substance misuse needs should be considered as a young carer throughout this pandemic
Five key themes were identified: the complexity of care that young carers and young adult carers manage on a daily basis, the exponential increase in their care responsibilities as a direct result of the lockdown restrictions, the limitations placed on the support available to them, the knock-on effect this has had upon their own education and the impact this had upon their mental health

Summary

Introduction

A young carer is a person under the age of 18 who provides care to a family member or friend with a physical or mental illness, disability or a substance misuse problem (Cheesbrough et al, 2017). Providing significant care to family members or friends who have needs as a result of physical or mental ill health, disability or substance misuse, young carers and young adult carers are often marginalized, their voices unheard and their needs unrecognized (Abraham & Aldridge, 2010; Becker & Sempik, 2019; Blake-Holmes, 2019; Joseph et al, 2020)

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