We’re delighted to share our new report ‘Invisible in Plain Sight: Young Carers and Cared-For Parents’ Experiences in Health and Social Care Settings’, which highlights some of the key findings, actions and recommendations to help ensure healthcare professionals identify young carers earlier and offer adequate support.

Working with Healthwatch Sheffield, SYC’s Action Group have played a key role in creating this report, taking part in multiple workshops and sessions to lend their personal experiences and expertise that this report is built on. Parents involved with our Family Project helped with this report too, sharing their experiences of healthcare services and what support they feel is available for their children.

The findings and recommendations from this project provide an important reminder for healthcare professionals of the vital role that they play in identifying and supporting young carers at an early stage. Small, simple actions, taken consistently and with empathy, can make a huge difference. They outline a clear series of steps that all healthcare settings can take to improve awareness, communication, and support to make sure young carers don’t get left behind.

The young people involved also created the following practical resources for healthcare professionals and settings. These resources have been designed to make it easier for professionals to identify and support young carers earlier and specifically that they can be seen in waiting rooms, where young people and families could see them and potentially self-identify themselves.

If you know any healthcare professionals, please share this report with them! The findings and recommendations really could help make a massive difference to young carers and their families accessing healthcare.