Children of impaired parents

Barnardo’s, the children’s charity, has produced a revised version of its resource pack, Keeping the Family in Mind, after the first 500 packs sold out.

These photographs are just some of nearly 300 taken by young carers to describe their lives. Jo Aldridge and Darren Sharpe report.

Young carers may be more damaged by what we do to try to protect them.

Objectives: While the consequences of caring for younger people with dementia have been a growing area of research, little is known about the children of these individuals. This study aimed to discover whether children of younger people with dementia can be compared to other young carers, the impact of their caring on mood, burden and resilience and what could promote coping. Method: In-depth interviews were carried out with 12 participants aged 11-18. A grounded theory methodology was used, supplemented with three quantitative measures.

Alex Fox highlights the hidden struggles of young carers and the signs health practitioners can look out for to identify those who need support.

In less than a decade, children who provide care for ill or disabled parents and siblings have become a major target of social welfare services. 'Young carers' suffer, it is suggested, from a degradation in mental and physical health, have damaged educational careers, restricted social networks, and will suffer long-term consequences in adult life as a result of their childhood caring roles.