We must care for our young carers: Charity fears pandemic is inflicting a hidden toll

The pandemic has heaped even more pressure on Scotland’s army of young carers, support charities fear.

The Carers Trust Scotland warns 45% of young carers and 68% of young adult carers have admitted their mental health has worsened because of the additional stress linked to lockdown.

The charity’s survey revealed 58% of 12 to 17-year-old respondents said their education was suffering while 42% of carers aged 18 to 25 felt they were “unable to take a break” from caring responsibilities, which it fears is leading to isolation.

Ruth Williams is one of the many teenagers struggling to juggle schoolwork and friendships in the midst of lockdown – but the 15-year-old has the added responsibility of helping to care for her dad.

As one of Scotland’s 29,000 young carers, Ruth helps her mum, Rachel, 47, with tasks around the house, while providing essential support for her dad, Arwel, 43, who requires the use of a wheelchair.

“It can be difficult to juggle everything at times, especially since I’ve been doing school from home,” says Ruth, who lives with her parents and younger brother in Bathgate, West Lothian.

“If there’s not a set deadline, I’m more likely to procrastinate. Then later, when I could be doing schoolwork, I’m helping my mum around the house.

“A lot of what I do is general chores so my mum doesn’t have to do every­thing, as well as caring for my dad, so I feel sometimes I’m in quite a fortunate position compared to most.”

© Stewart Atwood

Ruth, who is part of the Carers Trust Young Carer Advisory Group, knows how hard it has been to keep in contact with friends. She says: “My dad has been shielding, so I was worried about catching the virus, especially when we went back to school. There were quite a few cases at school.”

With public services under increasing pressure during the pandemic, even more people have taken on a caring role in the past year, with the number of carers in Scotland rising from an estimated 690,000 to more than 1.1 million.

Last month, local carer centres received a £750,000 funding boost from the Scottish Government, which Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said would, “ensure more unpaid carers can benefit from a much-needed break and emotional support”.