Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Young Carers

Tuesday 1 March 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government is amending the school census to collect better data on outcomes for young carers starting in 2022-23.
  • Fleur Anderson highlighted the impact of unpaid child labour and asked for a plan to tackle it.
  • The Minister acknowledged the need to protect young people from inappropriate and excessive caring responsibilities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
Children & Families
Context

Young carers face significant challenges that impact their education, health, and wellbeing. A constituent's long-term experience as a young carer highlights the devastating effects on educational attainment and physical and mental health.

Question

What assessment has the Government made of the adequacy of support for young carers? There are 800,000 young carers in the UK, with 800 of them in Wandsworth where support services have been slashed. Does the Minister recognise the impact of unpaid child labour and does she have a plan to tackle it?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We recognise the need for better data on outcomes for young carers, which is why we are amending the school census at the earliest opportunity. This amendment will allow us to collect evidence each year from primary and secondary schools starting in 2022-23.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The impact of reduced support services on young carers

How: We Recognise The Need For Better Data, Amending The School Census

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Q2 Fleur Anderson Lab Putney
NHS Children & Families
Context

Young carers face significant challenges that impact their education, health, and wellbeing. A constituent's long-term experience as a young carer highlights the devastating effects on educational attainment and physical and mental health.

Question

I welcome more information being found out about young carers, because this is a hidden health crisis. Does the Minister recognise the impact of unpaid child labour and does she have a plan to tackle it?

Answer from Gillian Keegan

We recognise that young people should be protected from inappropriate and excessive caring responsibility, and adult and children's services need to work together better. We are committed to amending the school census at the earliest opportunity, starting in 2022-23, to collect evidence on outcomes for this cohort.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The impact of unpaid child labour and reduced support services

How: We Recognise That Young People Should Be Protected, Amending The School Census

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