EVERY day at least 195,000 children across the UK sacrifice their time to take care of loved ones at home.

While their peers are out playing and having fun being children, they’re busy providing physical and emotional support to a family member.

Finding time to do their homework alongside household chores, such as cooking and cleaning can be difficult, and some also have to help manage the family’s bills.

Unsurprisingly, many of these children and young people are deeply affected by their role and struggle to juggle their education and caring responsibilities.

More than half of young carers’ parents say their children have missed school.

They’re also more likely to suffer from mental health issues and report having trouble making friends at school.

At Barnardo’s we give these children and young people the support they need through our young carers’ services so they realise they’re not alone.

Here they meet other young people in the same situation as themselves, get the professional support they need, and have a precious few hours every week to enjoy being children again.

We let them know they don’t have to cope with the pressures of a caring role on their own.

This is crucial as we believe children should never be in a situation where they’re unsupported and overwhelmed.

Shaquille is one of nearly 4,000 young carers supported by Barnardo’s. He has been looking after his mum since he was 14.

His mum has a number of health conditions including diabetes, arthritis, a heart murmur and suffers from depression and anxiety. Clearly a lot for anyone to cope with.

The amount of work Shaquille has to do all depends on how his mum is feeling.

He’ll often cook and clean the house, or he might do the food shopping because her anxiety is so bad she can’t leave the house.

His advice to other young carers is ‘don’t be afraid to ask for support and talk to someone you trust like a teacher’.

Government policy changes in recent years have been a step in the right direction putting a focus on identification of young carers so they can get help from social services and charities like Barnardo’s.

But too many are still slipping through the net.

This must change and every young carer must be assessed by councils so they can get the support they need.

No child should ever have to cope alone.

JAVED KHAN

Chief Executive Barnardo’s