Social Security Experience Panels: Young Carer Grant - initial findings

Summary

The young carers who participated in these focus groups shared some of the positives and challenges of being a young carer. This included a lack of time for education and socialising and mental health impacts, however the positives included building networks through the young carer groups and learning new skills. It was clear that the support received outside of young carer groups is variable.

Some of the key challenges include the difficulty that some young carers have in quantifying the amount of time they spend caring, or the duration of their care experience. Many felt it was “reasonable” to make sure the grant is going to the right people, but felt that these could be barriers to applying.

There was consensus that the application itself should be kept as simple as possible, but views also varied about the best way to support people to be able to complete this – for example having a support worker help or provide a reference for their application.