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‘Your friends don’t understand’: Invisibility and unmet need in the lives of ‘young carers’
Author(s) -
Thomas Nigel,
Stainton Timothy,
Jackson Sonia,
Cheung Wai Yee,
Doubtfire Samantha,
Webb Amanda
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2206.2003.00266.x
Subject(s) - invisibility , social work , identification (biology) , service (business) , psychology , young person , nursing , medicine , developmental psychology , political science , botany , physics , economy , law , optics , economics , biology
This paper is based on a study of the experiences of people identified as ‘young carers’, commissioned by the National Assembly for Wales as part of a wider review of carers’ needs and services. Following a brief review of some of the previous research in this area, the paper reports key findings of the research, using the words of children and young people as much as possible. It then goes on to explore some of the wider implications of this and other research for the identification and support of ‘young carers’ and their families, and for the understanding of the needs and wishes of children and young people so defined. The paper concludes with an alternative definition of a ‘young carer’ and with some recommendations for professional practice, suggesting that the role of social work is crucial in this area of service.