published in Yorkshire Post 30 Dec 2008
EVER since Victorian times, our country has had laws to protect children from being forced to work and from being exploited if they choose to work. But, on Christmas Day, thousands of local children worked long hours for nothing – just as they do throughout the year. Some are eight years old or less.
These are
These children do all kinds of demanding jobs, including cooking, shopping and housework and managing family budgets. They provide child care for younger brothers and sisters. They give nursing, personal care and emotional support for a parent or other adults in their family, and manage their medication.
More than half live in one-parent families and almost a third have to care for a family member with mental health problems or dependency issues with drink or drugs.
Some child carers have to read letters and documents for their families and act as interpreters. Some are expected to go out and make money – legally or otherwise.
The average age of these children is 12. Some work for 50 hours a week or longer. Like carers generally, they save national and local government a colossal amount of public money, but they are not eligible for carers' allowance until they are 16.
The life of a child carer is typically stressful, anxious and exhausting. A full night's sleep becomes a rare luxury. All too often, child carers are invisible and inaudible – not consulted by doctors, social workers and other adults making key decisions about their parents and families. Child carers tend to lose out on schooling and social life and many of them face bullying and stigma from their peers.
According to Barnado's, there are 175,000 child carers in the
However, child carers are themselves heartbreakingly reluctant to identify themselves to authority, for fear of being taunted or worse at school and for fear that their family will be broken up.
Whatever the true number, it will certainly increase in the next few years. The economic recession will bring more stress on families and more family break-ups. More children will live with a single parent with a lower income: some of these single parents will not cope.
Moreover, in its new welfare reforms, the Government intends that single parents should go out to work when their youngest child reaches the age of seven. There is not enough good-quality, affordable childcare available for the existing number of working single mothers. If the Government does force more into work, it is certain that more of them will ask their older children to provide child care for the younger ones and to take on other jobs.
The Government is aware that child carers have a hard life and has tried to improve things. Earlier this year, it directed all agencies working with vulnerable adults to take account of the needs of any child carers, and it encouraged local authorities to bid for extra money to provide "joined-up" services for their families.
But it is hard at any time to provide effective services for child carers when their needs and circumstances are so varied and when so many are reluctant to identify themselves to authority, let alone ask for specific help. It will be harder still in recession when so many other economic and social casualties will be claiming attention and public funds.
That is why it is urgent for child carers to make themselves heard. There are many people they could turn to – including teachers, doctors, social workers, faith leaders, charities and community organisations, their councillor, their MP.
But all these potential listeners need to be patient with young carers, who may need time to talk through complex needs and feelings, and to offer them a guarantee against any penalty to themselves and their families.
The best present for any child carer this Christmas is a voice.