A charity which supports young carers has raised over £5,000 to fund free counselling sessions after it was revealed those who look after relatives suffer from declining mental health and struggling financially. 

The money raised from the Christmas fundraiser will help young people who care for one or more family members. 

Nick Hardwick, fundraising officer at Sheffield Young Carers, said: “There have been some quite concerning statistics that show there’s a demand for more support for quite a lot of the young carers that we work with.”

Sheffield Young Carers has provided support for over 7300 young people across the city. In 2022-23 the charity made 23 counselling referrals, which increased to 41 referrals in 2023-24.

The first ever parliamentary inquiry into young carers revealed a lack of support can have devastating consequences on their education, well-being and prospects. 

The 2023 inquiry by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) found that thousands of children are spending over 50 hours a week caring for a family member. 

A higher prevalence of self harm among young carers was also revealed at 25% in comparison to their non-caring peers at 17%. 

Responding to the inquiry, Carers Trust CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said: “This damning report, supported by Carers Trust, should be a wake-up call that young carers are being horribly let down by the system. 

“They are facing huge disadvantages when it comes to education, job prospects and wellbeing, all because they put their loved ones first.”

This research also found 57% of young carers are ‘always’ or ‘usually’ worrying about the cost of living and things being more expensive. 

Holly, a 21-year-old adult carer and youth advisor to the inquiry, said: “I’ve been helping to take care of my younger sister ever since she was born but I only got identified as a young carer when I turned 14. 

“The inquiry results clearly show many other young carers aren’t being identified. Even when they are, they don’t always get the help they need.

“Caring impacts not just your everyday life but also your dreams for the future, especially when you’re not given the support you desperately need. It’s crucial for those in charge to take their responsibilities seriously, be held accountable, and stop thousands of young people falling through the cracks.”

Chairing the APPG for young carers at the time was former Sheffield Central MP, and patron at Sheffield young carers, Paul Blomfield. He has been pushing the issue and encouraged  young carers to speak to Theresa May when she was prime minister. 

Sheffield Young Carers works with a variety of organisations such as schools, local authorities and health care providers to access young carers. 

But Nick, who felt strongly that more research should have been carried out before now by parliament into young carers, said: “So many are hidden. Maybe there is just a school student who doesn’t want to do their homework and is always late but we need to think beyond that because there could be more behind that.” 

There has been an emphasis on organisations to recognise and support young carers to ensure no one falls through the cracks.  

Duncan Baker MP, chair of the inquiry and vice-chair of the APPG, said: “It’s up to all of us to give these young people a better start in life so we also need local authorities, health providers, schools, employers, and regulators to join in and help young carers.”

Sheffield Young Carers received an overwhelmingly positive response from their campaign exceeding their initial £4,400 target. Nick said: “We know how special our supporters are and how they really do back us. 

“It might sound a little bit crazy but to not be here would be our overall goal because you would hope that organisations would be able to offer that support without the need for us.”