The Welsh Government has today published a new report, Health, wellbeing and school life of young carers in Wales: Findings from the School Health Research Network (SHRN).
The report forms Phase One of a wider three phase‑ programme to improve data and understanding of young carers in Wales.
The analysis is based on responses from over 65,000 young people who took part in the 2021 and 2023 SHRN Secondary School Student Health and Wellbeing Surveys, including a question on whether they identified as a young carer.
This report was produced by Ed Janes on behalf of the Welsh Government. Ed is also a Cardiff University researcher who works in the areas of young carers and adoption. The SHRN team provided access to the survey data, however we were not involved in the analysis or writing the report.
Key insights highlighted by the report include:
- Around 18% of students identified as young carers—more than 1 in 6.
- The size of the role varied though. About 9% of all learners had high regularity roles, with 4% having moderate roles, and 4% low-regularity roles.
- Young carers most frequently reported slightly poorer health and wellbeing than their peers, with the largest differences seen in mental health measures.
- The regularity of caring responsibilities mattered: students with more frequent caring roles tended to report greater health- and wellbeing challenges.
- Young carers with regular responsibilities showed higher prosocial skills, such as maturity and friendliness.
Dr. Kelly Morgan, SHRN director said:
‘ Our aim is to provide robust, high-quality data that supports organisations to better understand and respond to the needs of young people. We welcome Welsh Government’s use of SHRN survey data in this important area and are pleased that the evidence can contribute to a clearer understanding of young carers’ needs in Wales.’‑
For further information about the Welsh Government’s work in this area, contact: CYP.RightsInEducation@gov.wales