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:
- Local authorities and NHS commissioners to have proactive local strategies to identify and support young carers and young adult carers.
- Schools, colleges and universities to have a Young Carers Lead/Champion with responsibility for identifying and supporting young carers and student carers.
- 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.
- 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:
