All-party Parliamentary Group for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers
About the APPG for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers brings together Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum who are committed to improving the lives of young carers and young adult carers. The group’s mission is to provide a forum for key issues affecting young carers and young adult carers which will be addressed collaboratively by Parliamentarians and other key stakeholders, including young carers and young adult carers.
The APPG holds regular meetings in Parliament with an ambitious agenda of work and seeks to make the very strongest collective case to Central Government as we seek to achieve the best support, services and outcomes for young carers and young adult carers.
Upcoming APPG meetings/events - Visit https://forms.office.com/e/et83KXWx6g if you would be interested in attending any upcoming events.
Thursday 12th June 2025, 10am to 11:15am - Roundtable on improving access to higher education for young carers
Thursday 12th June 2025, 5pm to 6pm - Online launch of the APPG's inquiry into removing the barriers to higher education, training and employment for young adult carers.
APPG Officers/members
The current officers of the APPG are:
- Chair: Chris Vince MP
- Vice-Chair: Alison Bennett MP
- Vice-Chair: Baroness Keeley
- Vice-Chair: Lord Young of Cookham
In addition to the officers, there are additional MPs and Peers who are members of the APPG (asked to be on the group's mailing list). These are:
Abtisam Mohamed MP
Afzal Khan MP
Alistair Carmichael MP
Anna Dixon MP
Baroness Brinton
Baroness Lister of Burtersett CBE
Baroness Pitkeathley OBE
Baroness Walmsley
Caroline Dinenage MP
Charlotte Cane MP
Christine Jardine MP
Colum Eastwood MP
Daniel Francis MP
Ed Davey MP
Fabian Hamilton MP
Fleur Anderson MP
Florence Eshalomi MP
Gill Furniss MP
Ian Lavery MP
Jess Asato MP
John McDonnell MP
John Slinger MP
Josh Babarinde MP
Kate Osborne MP
Lee Dillon MP
Liz Twist MP
Mary Kelly Foy MP
Maureen Burke MP
Maya Ellis MP
Mohammed Yasin MP
Paulette Hamilton MP
Pippa Heylings MP
Polly Billington MP
Sarah Green MP
Sharon Hodgson MP
Sian Berry MP
Tom Gordon MP
Vikki Slade MP
Wendy Chamberlain MP
Wera Hobhouse MP
Latest APPG news
APPG launches call for youth advisors for its next inquiry
Later this year, the APPG for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers will be launching its next inquiry, following on from our inquiry into life opportunities for young carers, which we published in the last Parliament.
As part of this, we are looking for around 10 young carers/young adult carers aged 16 to 25 to support the inquiry as Youth Advisors. They will help us shape the call for evidence, assist in promoting the inquiry, and will work with parliamentarians on the report/launch.
You can find out more about the opportunity via this role description. Applications are open via the online form until Sunday 11th May 2025. If you have any questions, please contact appg@carers.org.
APPG for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers reformed - Wednesday 30th October 2024
The officers of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Young Carers are delighted to announce that the group has reformed. It held its first meeting of the new Parliament on 29th October, with UK charity Carers Trust re- appointed to provide the secretariat.
Chris Vince, Labour and Co-operative MP for Harlow, has been elected as the group’s new Chair. Prior to entering Parliament, he was the Young Carers Service Manager for Essex-based charity Action for Family Carers and was also a secondary school teacher for 15 years.
The APPG vice-chairs are:
- Alison Bennett, Liberal Democrat MP and Spokesperson for Carers and Care
- Baroness Keeley, Labour Peer
- Lord Young of Cookham, Conservative peer.
In addition to electing the officers, young and young adult carers shared their experiences at the meeting on topics such as balancing caring and education, support for their families, and the join-up between health and social care services. They also presented findings from Carers Trust’s new report into young carers and education, showing young carers miss more than a month of school on average.
The APPG provides a cross-party platform at Westminster for MPs and Peers committed to supporting more than one million young and young adult carers in the UK. Last year, the APPG held the first ever parliamentary inquiry into the effect of caring on young people’s life opportunities. It highlighted a devastating impact on their education, wellbeing and future prospects and uncovered evidence showing 15,000 children, including 3,000 aged just five to nine, spend 50 hours or more a week caring.
This parliament, the APPG will focus on three key areas:
· Improving identification, recognition of young carers within school.
· Improving support for young adult carers as they transition to adulthood, including access to higher education, training and employment.
· Improving joined-up working between health and social care services so that young carers and their families get the support they need at the earliest opportunity.
The group also wants to work closely with the APPG for Carers on issues such as a national carers strategy.
APPG Chair, Chris Vince MP said:
"It is an honour to have been appointed as the chair of such an important APPG, on a topic that I care passionately about.
“During my time with Action for Family Carers and working in schools, I saw first-hand just how much young carers have to deal with on a daily basis. This is why it is so important that young carers are identified and supported at the earliest opportunity.
“In the last Parliament, the APPG, led by my predecessor Paul Blomfield, who I would like to express my gratitude to, helped to build real momentum in Parliament around young carers. I am determined that as an APPG we continue to push for better recognition and support for young carers so that they can have the same life opportunities as their peers. That is the very least that they deserve."
How to get involved with the work of the APPG
Parliamentarians can join the APPG at any time by emailing appg@carers.org.
To join the list of observers or for any enquiries please contact: appg@carers.org.
The chair can be contacted by e-mailing chris.vince@parliament.uk
You can also find out about the work of the APPG via X/Twitter: @APPGYCandYAC
APPG members
Active members of the APPG are defined as those who have asked to be on the group's mailing list. You can see the full list of active members here.
APPG projects and reports
The APPG helps to improve support and raise awareness for young carers and young adult carers by producing specific projects and reports. Find the projects and reports here.
Disclaimer
This is not an official website of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these webpages are those of the group