Uncertainty about the future

Many young carers did not know what they would do post-16 and appeared to lack the time, clarity of thought or motivation to make plans. Several stated that they were ‘trying not to think about it, because it’s just too overwhelming’.
 

 Low self-worth & confidence

Many seemed unaware of the skillsets they had developed as carers and demonstrated low self-worth and confidence. It was noted that these young people would be ill-equipped to sell themselves to employers.
 

 Self-sacrifice for those they care for

Many of the young carers we spoke to appeared to be basing major life decisions on the needs of the individual for whom they were providing care, rather than making choices based on their own ambitions and interests.
 

 Aspirations limited to caring

Several young carers stated that they had been ‘born into’ their caring roles, and appeared to consider care to be their primary purpose in life.
 

 Experiencing bounded agency

Many expressed concerns over enrolling in training courses, committing to employment or applying to universities, as they were nervous about leaving the person for whom they care for long periods of time or about increasing the responsibility placed on younger sibling.
 

 Underperformance at school

Many felt that they were falling behind in school and, thus, were unlikely to achieve strong GCSE results. A report conducted by The Carers Trust found that young carers achieve, on average, 9 grades lower than their peers overall at GCSE, and that they attribute this directly to their caring responsibilities.
 

 Career Guidance

In addition to this, according to research by Professor Joseph Sempik and Professor Saul Becker (2014) 87% of young carers felt that they had not received good career advice at school; and that the advice did not take into account their caring role.