2020 Vision: Hear Me, See Me, Support Me and don’t Forget Me.
The results of a Carers Trust Scotland survey into the impact of Coronavirus on young carers aged 12 to 17 and young adult carers aged 18 to 25 was published in July 2020. They pointed to a steep decline in the mental health and wellbeing of thousands of young people across Scotland who provide unpaid care at home for family members or friends.
Key points
With 214 responses from across Scotland, our survey provided a base of evidence. It showed how worries relating to Coronavirus and increased isolation caused by the lockdown had affected the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland's young people with caring responsibilities.
Even before the outbreak of Coronavirus, young carers and young adult carers were all too often spending significant amounts of time caring for a relative in addition to the time they needed to spend on education, work and time for themselves. Coronavirus significantly increased those pressures.
- 45% of young carers and 68% of young adult carers in Scotland said their mental health is worse since Coronavirus.
- 71% of young carers and 85% of young adult carers in Scotland were more worried about the future since Coronavirus.
- 69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland felt more stressed since Coronavirus.
- 74% of young carers and 73% of young adult carers in Scotland were feeling less connected to others since Coronavirus.
- 58% of young carers in Scotland felt that their education has suffered since Coronavirus.
- 11% of both young and young adult carers in Scotland reported an increase of 30 hours or more in the amount of time they spent caring per week.
- 6% of young carers and 11% of young adult carers in Scotland were spending over 90 hours a week caring for a family member or friend.