Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey "totally backs" #YoungCarersCount campaign

The Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey has backed our calls for more support to be offered to Young Carers.

For the last two weeks, we've been sharing stories of Young Carers whose lives were made more difficult through the pandemic because of lockdown, virus fears and school closures.

We heard how the Government's Covid Bill left some carers without the support they need.

It's also emerged that there is currently no measure of how many Young Carers there currently are in the country. Some might not even know they're classed as a Young Carer.

We've heard there could be thousands of young people who need support, but can't get it.

We're teaming up with The Children's Society and The Carer's Trust to ask for a child's Carer status to be included in the school census, which would mean schools better understand a child's needs, and can work with local authorities to support them throughout their education and into adult life.

Sir Ed Davey heard about our campaign and wants to take it to Parliament:

Sir Ed has told Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle he thinks the #YoungCarersCount campaign can go further, using data from the Office for National Statistics to get a more rounded picture of the number of Young Carers across the country.

He told us training needs to be improved, so that when Young Carers are identified, adults know how to speak to them and understand what support they might require.

His party is also committed to making the Carer's Allowance available to more Young Carers, and providing free Bus passes, where appropriate.

The senior MP, who was a Young Carer when he was growing up, says investing in them now will bring benefits in the long run.

"It's the right thing to do, but it's also the sensible thing to do, if we can support them by identifying them, by listening to them, and then supporting them appropriately, then that's going to improve their life chances, and that's good for them and its good for the rest of us."

Helen Leadbitter is the National Lead for Young Carers at the Children's Society.

She explains why the campaign is important, and the difference it can make to Young Carers.

A Government spokesperson said:

“Young carers make an invaluable contribution by looking after their loved ones and we want to thank them during these unprecedented times.

We want to make sure that young carers get the support they need and are able to take advantage of opportunities beyond their caring responsibilities. That’s why we're investing in the See, Hear, Respond service, which provides targeted support to vulnerable children including young carers.”

The campaign also has the backing of Shadow Minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, who spoke to Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle as part of the #MentalHealthMonday Podcast

You can watch the full interview with Sir Ed Davey here:

• Why he backs the #YoungCarersCount campaign

• His experience of being a Young Carer

• His experience of losing two parents as a child

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• #youngcarerscount