MYTIME brings young carers' voices - and a new report - to the Houses of Parliament

On 16th September, MYTIME Young Carers had the incredible honour of presenting our groundbreaking report Punished for Caring at the Houses of Parliament.

 

Hosted by Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes - who spoke movingly about his own experience of growing up as a young carer - the event brought together MPs, Lords, Ofsted representatives, educators, researchers and charities, all united by one goal: to better support the thousands of young carers in UK's schools today.

 

Our report, written by MYTIME’s Level Up Academy Lead Shakira Bryan, reveals a shocking truth: young carers are more than twice as likely to face suspensions and exclusions as their peers, and almost half are persistently absent from secondary school. Behind these numbers are real children, juggling homework with heavy responsibilities at home.

 

Tom Hayes MP reflected:

“As someone who grew up caring for my disabled parents, I know how easy it is for young carers to feel overlooked. That’s why MYTIME’s work matters so profoundly.”

 

CEO Krista Cartlidge shared her own experience as a teacher, remembering how little awareness of young carers there was in schools:

“Behaviours that were really cries for help were often misread as misconduct. This report shows just how urgently change is needed.”

 

The report’s recommendations call for every school to step up: appoint a Young Carer Champion, deliver proper training, reduce stigma and embrace flexible approaches that give young carers a fair chance to succeed.

 

As Shakira Bryan reminded us in her closing words:

“Change is not only possible - it’s already happening in schools that choose to act differently. The next step is to make this the rule, not the exception.”

 

This launch is just the beginning. Punished for Caring is the first in a series of reports that will continue to shine a light on the challenges young carers face and build the evidence needed to create lasting change.

 

At MYTIME, we are already helping schools across the country take action through our Level Up Programme, winner of the 2025 Charity Awards’ Children & Youth Prize. The programme equips schools with the tools, training and resources they need to properly recognise and support young carers.

 

Because while this report exposes the challenges, it also shows the way forward. And with every partnership, every training session and every conversation, we’re building a future where no young carer is punished for caring.

 

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Tom Hayes MP for welcoming us into the House of Commons, and to every MP, Lord, educator, researcher and charity representative who joined us on the day. Our gratitude also goes to the incredible MYTIME team who contributed to this report, and of course to the young carers whose voices guide everything we do.

 

And finally, thank you to you - for reading, for caring, and for standing with us. Together, we can make sure no young carer is ever punished for caring.

 

👉 You can read the full report here: Punished for Caring Report 2025

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