'I can't do the things my friends do': Life as a teenage carer

Hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers across the United Kingdom are balancing their education with significant caregiving duties for family members, a burden advocates warn severely impacts their academic prospects, mental health, and personal lives.

Among them is 17-year-old Ava-Grace Britton of north London, who helps care for her father, Paul, after a sepsis infection following a work injury led to a series of strokes eight years ago. The strokes left the former borehole engineer with severe mobility and memory issues, compounded by diabetes. Alongside her mother, Karen, Britton monitors her father's blood glucose levels, administers medication, and assists with daily household tasks while studying acting at college and managing her own epilepsy.

Britton said her caregiving responsibilities have forced major personal trade-offs, including stepping away from competitive dance, changing schools due to attendance struggles and bullying, and limiting her higher education plans. She said she worries about her father constantly and often has to return home immediately after college to assist him. She added that while she wants to attend university next year, she cannot imagine moving far from home because of her father's care needs.

While official census data identifies approximately 130,000 carers under the age of 18 in England and Wales, the Carers Trust estimates the actual figure could be as high as 1 million, alongside another 500,000 carers aged 18 to 25. More than half of young carers support a parent, while others assist siblings or grandparents. According to the charity, economic pressures have forced more parents into longer working hours, leaving children to assume greater domestic care roles.

These responsibilities frequently carry severe educational and developmental costs. Department for Education data shows young carers are 25 percent less likely to achieve five GCSE passes, including English and math, than their peers. Consequently, they are twice as likely to be out of education, employment, or training for two years or more.

Advocates contend that statutory support systems are failing to alleviate the pressure on young families. Andy McGowan, lead on young carers at the Carers Trust, said local council support is patchy and that identification of young carers often takes years. He noted that high eligibility thresholds for adult social care leave many families without adequate local authority assistance, forcing young people to fill the care gap.

Although young carers are entitled to council assessments evaluating the impact of caregiving on their well-being, McGowan emphasized that early intervention from healthcare services and local authorities remains insufficient to reduce the core burden placed on youths.

In July, the government published an action plan for unpaid carers, promising improved support in schools and better integration between the NHS, social care, and education sectors. A government spokesman stated that ministers are committed to building a system that recognizes and supports unpaid carers through a new national care service. For affected families, however, campaigners stress that expanded local support and reduced eligibility thresholds remain urgently needed.