Young Carers Pledge


Over the past decade, young carers and young adult carers have acquired a variety of specific legal rights and their needs acknowledged in statutory guidance and national policy to ensure they are identified and get the support that they need. Our report 'Being a young carer is not a choice; it's just what I do' also highlighted the real need for more identification, recognition and support for young carers and young adult carers.

But from speaking with young carers and young adult carers, we know that they don’t feel their needs are recognised by decision-makers and that the rights young carers have are not consistently being reflected in practice.

The Young Carers and Young Adult Carers Pledge

Carers Trust and members of the Young Carers Alliance are therefore asking MPs, organisations and individuals to pledge their support for young carers and young adult carers. The content of the pledge is based on the voices and experiences of young carers and young adult carers, as well as what should already be happening based on legislation and existing policy/guidance.

The Pledge 

I will work with my local carer support organisation(s) to champion the needs of young carers and young adult carers - and I will encourage:

  1. Local authorities and NHS commissioners to have proactive local strategies to identify and support young carers and young adult carers. 
  2. Schools, colleges and universities to have a Young Carers Lead/Champion with responsibility for identifying and supporting young carers and student carers. 
  3. Local authorities to help young carers and young adult carers to realise their statutory rights, have breaks from caring and make successful transitions into adulthood. 
  4. Local authorities to have a Memorandum of Understanding between relevant agencies and organisations to ensure an integrated whole-family approach to identification and support for young carers and their families.

Sign the pledge here:

These are the MPs and Peers who have already signed our Young Carers Pledge: 

Name Party Constituency
Alex Cunningham Labour Stockton North
Daniel Carden Labour Liverpool Walton
Edward Davey Liberal Democrats Kingston and Surbiton
Liz Twist Labour  Blaydon
Paul Blomfield Labour Sheffield Central
Bell Ribeiro-Addy Labour Streatham
Helen Morgan Liberal Democrats North Shropshire
Ian Byrne Labour Liverpool West Derby
Kim Johnson Labour Liverpool, Riverside
Olivia Blake Labour Sheffield Hallam
Sir Graham Brady Conservative Altrincham & Sale West
Yvonne Fovargue Labour Makerfield
Duncan Baker Conservative North Norfolk
Mark Tami Labour Alyn and Deeside
Baroness Joan Walmsley (House of Lords)  
Andrew Gwynne Labour Denton and Reddish
Barbara Keeley Labour Worsley and Eccles South
Caroline Ansell Conservative Eastbourne
Fleur Anderson Labour Putney
Florence Eshalomi Labour Vauxhall
Helen Hayes Labour Dulwich and West Norwood (Shadow Children's Minister)
Helen Whately Conservative Faversham and Mid Kent (Minister for Social Care)
Sir Robert Buckland Conservative South Swindon
Paulette Hamilton Labour Birmingham, Erdington
Lisa Nandy Labour Wigan
Fabian Hamilton Labour Leeds North East
Afzal Khan Labour Manchester Gorton
Sarah Green Liberal Democrats Chesham and Amersham
John McDonnell Labour Hayes and Harlington
Sally-Ann Hart Conservatives Hastings and Rye
Mary Kelly Foy Labour City of Durham
Christina Rees Independent Neath
Jo Gideon Conservative Stoke-on-Trent Central
Andrew Western Labour Stretford and Urmston
Kate Osborne Labour Jarrow
Mohammed Yasin Labour Bedford
Christine Jardine Liberal Democrats Edinburgh West
Alistair Carmichael

Liberal Democrats

Orkney and Shetland

George Howarth

Labour

Knowsley

Scott Benton

Independent

Blackpool South

Sarah Atherton

Conservative

Wrexham

Vendra Sharma

Labour

Ealing Southall

Wendy Chamberlain

Liberal Democrats

North-East Fife

Marion Fellows

SNP

Motherwell and Winshaw

Chris Stephens

SNP

Glasgow South West

Ashley Dalton

Labour

West Lancashire

Sir Oliver Heald

Conservative

North-East Hertfordshire

Dame Rosie Winterton

Labour

Doncaster Central

Claire Coutinho

Conservative

East Surrey

Caroline Lucas

Green Party

Brighton Pavillion

Caroline Dinenage

Conservative

Gosport

Colum Eastwood

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Foyle

Andrew Lewer

Conservative

Northampton South

Baroness Jan Royall

 

Peer

Martyn Day

Scottish National Party

Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Sir Robin Walker

Conservative

Worcester

David Johnston MP

Conservative

Wantage

Chloe Smith

Conservative

Norwich North

Munira Wilson

Liberal Democrats

Twickenham

Layla Moran

Liberal Democrats

Oxford West and Abingdon

Will you pledge your support for young carers and young adult carers?

Dear ,

I am writing to you on behalf of the young carers of INSERT CONSTITUENCY to ask if you will pledge your support for young carers and young adult carers.

(Optional extra paragraph for young carer services) - At INSERT NAME OF YOUNG CARER SERVICE we support young carers in and regularly see the impact that caring responsibilities can have on them.

Over the past decade, young carers and young adult carers have acquired a variety of specific legal rights. They are also the subject of additional provisions in statutory guidance and national policy to ensure they are identified and supported. This is important in  ensuring they are not providing care for family members that is negatively impacting their health, education or life chances.

In spite of these safeguards, Carers Trust’s latest young carers and young adult carers report, “Being a young carer is not a choice; it’s just what we do” found that young carers and young adult carers have been experiencing an intensification of their caring role for some years. Many are having to spend not only more time on their caring role but are also having to care for more people. Young carers and young adult carers have also said they don’t feel politicians recognise their needs.

Given the significant impact that caring continues to have on education, wellbeing and life opportunities for young carers and young adult carers, Carers Trust and the Young Carers Alliance are calling on MPs and Peers to pledge their support for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers.

The pledge is based both on what young carers and young adult carers have said and on what should already be happening in practice, based on existing legislation and guidance.

We would be really grateful if you would be willing to show your support for young carers and young adult carers by signing the pledge. You can do this by visiting www.carers.org/ycpledge.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kind Regards,

 

Social media images

Please feel free to use these images to show your support for the pledge, or to ask your local MP if they will sign it. These are the MPs who have already signed our Young Carers Pledge: