Stainton, Tim

Background : This protocol outlines research to explore family members' and paid staff's perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Evidence suggests that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience disparities in healthcare access and utilisation. This disparity was evident early in the pandemic when discussions arose regarding the potential exclusion of this population to critical care.

The article provides an overview on young carers the services they need within their community. It notes that young carers are individuals under 18 who provide primary care in their families due to parental addiction, disability, illness. Further, it states that parental absence due to divorce, desertion, or overseas military service can also serve as a ground for youth to become young carers.

The article looks at the initial outcome of the British Columbia Young Carers Study. The study has been funded by the Hamptons Fund at the University of British Columbia and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. One of the components of the study is to examine the prevalence of youth caring within the general adolescent population. The first stage of the study involved a survey of high school students at an urban centre in British Columbia. They found that 12.2 percent of the students are young carers.

The article provides an overview on what is known about young carers in general and identify in and services in Canada. Young carers are defined as being anyone under the age of 18 years who is the primary caregiver in the family due to the parental illness, disability or addiction. It discusses the potential short and long term consequences of having to take on a care giving role within one's family that is age appropriately greater than one would expect in most families.