Young Carers
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S2M-1655, in the name of John Swinney, on young carers in Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes with concern the recent report from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers recording the very high number of young people providing care to parents, brothers and sisters and other family members; warmly applauds the young people who give so much of their time, energy and emotion to support their family; pays tribute to the network of projects that provide support for the education, future development and quality of life of young carers in Scotland, and considers that the Scottish Executive should continue to expand support for young carers in Scotland.
I welcome the new Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care to her post and hope that, in her first debate since rejoining the ministerial team, she may have good news for us at the conclusion of the debate.
I thank the 67 members who have supported my motion on young carers in Scotland, and the Parliamentary Bureau for arranging this opportunity for debate. I also welcome to the Scottish Parliament some individuals who run young carers projects in different parts of Scotland and many of the young carers who provide the support that is so warmly complimented in the motion that is before the Parliament. In an age of political disinterest and the questioning of the relevance of Parliament to young people in Scotland, I hope that many young people who are here today will see that the Parliament addresses issues that affect their lives in Scotland.
Young carers are young people who carry out caring tasks for a parent, grandparent, brother or sister. In the process, they assume a level of responsibility for another person that would usually be taken on by an adult. Some of them will care for a person with a disability; others will keep together a family that has been undermined by an addiction to drugs or alcohol. I have met a young carer who provides all the physical support to their single parent with multiple sclerosis and another young carer whose brother has cerebral palsy. That young person deals with his brother's washing, dressing and feeding each day. I have met 12-year-old carers who deal with the payment of household bills because of their parents' addiction to drugs. To be frank, they do so more effectively than some of us could probably manage. Over the weekend, we heard about the case of a 15-year-old girl with learning difficulties who cares for her two blind grandparents. Among other things, she administers their medicine each day. That is the real life of young carers in Scotland.
For some of those young carers, the consequence of their role is that they have more responsibility. However, they are also more likely to see their education and health suffer and are more likely to find themselves isolated from many of their peers in our community.
I became aware of the issues that concern young carers, as young carers came to one of my surgeries and asked me to help them locally. As I have explored the issues that concern them in different parts of the country, I have seen that the issues are common, no matter which area is examined.
The 2001 census identified more than 16,000 carers in Scotland who are under the age of 18, but the number of hidden carers has been highlighted in recent research by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, which suggests that the figure may be more than 100,000 in Scotland. Notwithstanding those numbers, at the very most, the 52 excellent young carers projects throughout Scotland can currently provide support to no more than 3,000 young carers in our country. In my constituency, research shows that in rural Angus and Perthshire, for every one young carer who receives support, there are between five and 10 who receive no support whatsoever.
That takes me to the central question of the debate. How effectively are we as legislators and policy makers delivering the support to which young carers in Scotland are entitled? Since the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, the rights of young carers have been recognised in legislation. That recognition has continued and been clarified by successive acts of Parliament. In the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, a clearer duty was placed on local authorities to provide assessments for young carers. However, simply identifying legislative rights without putting in place the services to deliver on those rights is a meaningless process that might give comfort to us as legislators, but does nothing to address the real needs of young carers with those rights.
In a letter to me that is dated 13 August this year, the minister's predecessor, Mr McCabe, advanced two points to explain the Government's stance on young carers. First, he said that the Government has increased funding for young carers support in the past five years. That is undeniable, and I welcome that increase in funding, but it is not delivering sustainable projects or meeting demand in our country. Projects get started, but the funding is often only temporary. The funding comes to an end and projects are plunged into uncertainty.
In Edinburgh, funding for young carers projects has halved in the past two years as a result of that practice. Mr McCabe's letter to me cited as an example an excellent project in Dundee. There, £170,000 of social inclusion partnership funding has come to an end and the project waits with considerable anxiety to find out whether regeneration project funding will bridge the gap in the future.
Furthermore, all projects highlight the fact that they cannot meet the demand in Scotland. The project in Aberdeen supports 112 young carers, but there are 2,242 identified young carers in the city. The project in Edinburgh supports 150 young people, but there are 111 young people on the waiting list and the waiting list is now closed for fear of raising expectations about the support that could be offered to young people. Simply saying that more money has been made available does not give reassurance that projects are meeting the expectations of the public.
The second point advanced by Mr McCabe is that the Government requires local authorities to deliver services under the Executive's carers strategy, for which resources are made available by the Government. However, the practical implication of that approach is that a consistent, basic level of support is not created at the local level. Members will be surprised to hear it, but North Lanarkshire council gives a grant allocation of 100 per cent to its young carers project and has funded that project over a long period. I welcome that, but it is the only such example that I have been able to find in the country. Invariably, young carers projects have a battle to ensure that health boards, education authorities and social work departments engage with them to determine how to deliver on their statutory obligations. In the real world, neither are sufficient resources allocated to provide a sustainable level of service to young carers groups nor are local authorities able to provide the consistent level of service that legislation requires.
I ask the minister, in the light of the evidence that I have brought to the debate, to respond to two specific requests. First, will she agree to meet me and a representative group of young carers to identify a set of measures that will begin to tackle the issues that I have raised in the debate on behalf of young carers? Secondly, will she commit herself to ensuring that stronger statutory support and guidance is put in place to give effect to the legislation that we pass in the Parliament? The debate has attracted enormous support from across the political spectrum, and I am deeply grateful—as I know the young carers are—for that support from members of all parties. There is an appetite among members to ensure that support for young carers is not the last item on the agenda or a priority that never reaches the top of the list. We have a duty to do the right thing by the young carers of Scotland, and I hope that the minister will confirm that she will lead that effort. [Applause.]
Seventeen members have requested to speak, which is far too many. I will cut speaking times to three minutes and will call as many as I possibly can.
I commend John Swinney for an excellent initiative in calling this debate. I noted that, in his opening speech, he said that he and North Lanarkshire Council were rather strange bedfellows in the interests of young carers. I shall suggest another unfamiliar bedfellow, as I am about to bracket him with royalty.
Speaking in my constituency, Princess Anne said something very important about carers and caring. She said that none of us grows up expecting to be a carer—not at 50, 60 or 70; how much more unusual it is for someone in the first years of life to find themselves ending up as a carer. Princess Anne was speaking in Renfrewshire because, although we have not reached the level of support for young carers that exists in North Lanarkshire, a project has been established in Renfrewshire for more than five years. Christine and a team of young carers from Paisley—Craig, Neil, Heather, Michelle, Louise and Hannah—are in the public gallery today. All of them have been involved for five years in a young carers project in Renfrewshire.
As we heard at the meeting that we had with young carers this afternoon, there are an awful lot more hidden young carers than there is provision available. In Renfrewshire, there are four projects dealing with about 60 young carers; however, the census figures suggest that about 600 youngsters in Renfrewshire are involved in hidden caring. There is a desperate need to bring much greater visibility to the debate and in this chamber we would like to pay tribute to the Scottish Young Carers Alliance for bringing visibility to the debate. The young carers asked a very pertinent question when we met them an hour ago. They said "That is all very well, but what difference is it going to make?" In its five short years of life, Parliament has legislated twice on the issue of young carers. The issue is on the agenda for the first time ever.
A lot comes down to what the minister feels that she is able to do. The next steps are clearly about the need for a joint strategy, more joint working and making sure that local authorities do not just work with adult carers but also with young carers. The truth is that the minister cannot stand up tonight and promise everything. We have a good minister in Rhona Brankin. She has considerable experience of special needs in education and also has a lot of experience in her life of these issues. A good minister such as Rhona Brankin will go back to her officials tomorrow and ask them, "What more can be done?" In that endeavour of asking for more, she will have the support of everyone who is about to contribute to tonight's debate.
I am delighted to take part in today's debate and I congratulate John Swinney on securing the opportunity to highlight the issues once again. I am also grateful for the notice that was given of the debate because it gave time for many young carers to make arrangements to visit the Parliament today.
I am particularly pleased that 11 of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire's almost 200 known carers are here with Mary Drever and Shona Cormack from the Young Carers Centre in Aberdeen that is run by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Their support and enthusiasm is of immense value to the young people in helping to sort out their problems and ensuring that they get some relaxation and fun that they might otherwise miss.
Many young people look on themselves not as carers but merely as doing what needs to be done to help their loved ones at home. Many are reticent about their responsibilities and make light of what they do. They might face bullying at school from classmates who do not understand why they cannot always socialise. Teachers are often unaware of the situation and condemn absences, late arrival at school and failure to do homework. Life can sometimes get pretty miserable for young carers without a mediator such as Mary Drever or Shona Cormack to smooth the way.
Last night I spent a humbling few hours at the Aberdeen champions award ceremony, where local heroes who were nominated by friends and neighbours and voted for by readers of the Evening Express were awarded commendations or prizes under various categories. I was delighted that there was a carers category and even more delighted that a high commendation was awarded to a young Aberdeen carer—a 15-year-old boy who suffers from Crohn's disease and who looks after his mum and sister, who are both disabled, and who also cares for his baby brother. Such dedication deserves to be rewarded and people should know that we have some wonderfully caring young people in our communities.
Mary and Shona's young carers do not ask for a great deal, but they do appreciate the drop-in centre that they attend, where they can let their hair down, meet their friends and chat about their problems and frustrations over a cup of tea or can of Coke. They can get peace to do their homework and, sometimes, even catch up on much-needed sleep. They need better facilities, bigger premises or, indeed, more small premises scattered around the area. Their lives would be easier if they all had personal computers to help them with their homework in the same way as most children have nowadays. They might not be able to afford them but they could be provided if people knew that there was a need.
Today's debate gives us the opportunity to highlight those issues, to stress the importance of advocates such as Mary and Shona, to ask for understanding from fellow pupils and teachers, and to give encouragement to the many young carers who soldier on unknown, because the young carers that we do know about are undoubtedly only the tip of the iceberg. We need to encourage the others to come forward, to share their burdens, to use the drop-in centres and to get help and support when they need them.
It is clear that there are not enough facilities; I will not elaborate on that in the interests of time. I simply say that I support John Swinney's motion and urge the minister to take heed of it. Those unselfish young people need help to sustain their responsibilities and to ensure that they do not lose out on their own education, childhood and teenage years.
I thank John Swinney for raising this important topic for debate. I welcome the young carers from throughout Scotland who are in the public gallery. They gave us their time this afternoon to explain the issues and problems that they face—I appreciated that learning opportunity. I thank them for coming to the Parliament and for engaging with it.
Caring responsibilities are often undervalued in our society and they are often hidden. If, tomorrow, we took away the carers and others who do unpaid work at home and in the community, society would collapse. The report from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers highlights the hidden problem of young carers in Scotland, especially in Perth and Kinross, and the lack of support services. The report uncovers the fact that there are 200 young carers in Perth and Kinross alone, which demonstrates the potential for the expansion of support services for that group. The key finding of the report is clear: there is unmet need. The critical question is: what is the Executive prepared to do about the situation?
The Executive proposes the introduction of carer information strategies, which would help carers seek out the support that they need. Although that might help some carers, it will not address the key problem that the Princess Royal Trust's report raises of the lack of support services for young people. We know that those who attend young carers projects value the service, and there is strong evidence of the projects' success. Will the Executive listen to the voices of young carers and fund more services on a more stable basis?
Like many members, I had a career in the voluntary sector before I entered Parliament and I know that the sector is continually dogged by short-term funding. Projects lurch from one type of short-term funding to another and they must always be innovative so that they can reapply for funding, but they rarely achieve stability. That is just not good enough for the vital service of supporting young carers. We either value the role of service providers such as young carers organisations, or we do not. If we value them, we must find a way to provide them with stability in the medium to long term.
We need a more holistic approach that addresses the needs of young carers and of the people for whom they care. We must also consider how to ensure support for and awareness of young carers' needs in education and other sectors. We cannot assume that teachers are always aware of the special needs of young carers in class. Training should be given to teachers on young carers' issues as part of their continuing professional development, which would start to integrate support into mainstream provision.
I welcome the debate. I will listen carefully to what the new minister says, particularly on long-term stability and the integration of services.
John Swinney's motion is important and he made a good and well-informed speech.
We have progressed a bit on the issue of young carers. I have been going to meetings on the issue for four or five years and I know that the situation is not as bad as it used to be, but there is still a long way to go. At those meetings, young carers have raised several points with me. First, nobody really knows about the problem. As has been said, we lack information on the numbers involved and the problem, so the Executive must ensure that figures are collected properly. We will be able to deal with the problem better once we know how big it is.
Secondly, the services that councils provide vary enormously. The Executive must exert pressure to ensure that the councils that are not so good copy those that are better. Councils have the right to deliver services in the way that they choose, but they must deliver the required services and we must ensure that they do so.
The importance of respite care has always been emphasised greatly because the issue affects all carers, young or old. Councils and the voluntary sector provide some respite care, but more effort and resources must be put into that because when people get a break, it often makes the exercise of caring tolerable. Sometimes, it is not tolerable if people cannot get a break.
Young people have mentioned to me that schools are totally ignorant of their whole situation. Indeed, some of them get a lot of flak for being late for school or for not doing their homework when they have actually been looking after their family. Health, social work and schools must liaise better to ensure that people know that there is a problem and that schools are able to help young carers instead of giving them flak.
Support groups are clearly valuable. From talking to members in such groups, I know that a problem shared is a problem halved. If young people are given respite, they will be able to socialise with other young people, talk about their problems and enjoy themselves away from their difficult task.
We can improve the position of young carers in many ways. This is a major issue and I welcome the debate.
I, too, congratulate John Swinney on securing this evening's debate. Young carers face many pressures and problems, such as conflicts between caring responsibilities and schooling, injury and poor physical health and a lack of time for recreational and peer-centred activities.
During my time as convener of the cross-party group on carers, it was obvious that the issue of young carers was difficult and contentious. On the one hand, many people understandably felt that young people should not be burdened with the physical and emotional pressures of caring for a loved one. On the other hand, the reality in Scotland is that that is exactly what happens. Many young adults and children are faced with the almost impossible task of caring for a parent or some other adult who, in normal circumstances, would be caring for them. We must also acknowledge that a strong emotional attachment exists between many young carers and those for whom they care. We cannot simply assume that young carers always want to be relieved of their caring responsibilities.
The solution to the problem probably lies somewhere in-between both perspectives. The burden on young carers must be reduced as much as possible so that they enjoy their childhood and benefit from the educational opportunities that are open to them. In addition, we must ensure that they are given proper support. Fortunately, as we have already heard, an excellent example in North Lanarkshire shows how that can be achieved.
I am pleased to welcome young carers from North Lanarkshire—indeed, Campbell, one of my constituents from Shotts, was a star at the presentation earlier today—who are accompanied by staff members of the North Lanarkshire young carers project, who are to be congratulated on the work that they carry out in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council to provide a range of support measures to young carers, which includes taking about 40 young people away on an annual residential break to the Lake District. The project has also recently established a pilot to provide support to young carers of relatives who suffer from alcohol and drug abuse problems.
Importantly, the project seeks to ensure that the various agencies work in partnership to provide support not just for young carers but for the entire family. If successful, such an approach could alleviate the need for young people to provide a caring role in the first place. We must emphasise the fact that support for young carers—and, indeed, all carers—must be provided by a range of agencies, not just the obvious ones such as social work and the health service.
I ask the minister to outline the action that the Scottish Executive is taking to establish a young carers strategy and to build on the good practice that already exists in North Lanarkshire. Finally, I again congratulate the North Lanarkshire young carers project and wish it well in its future endeavours.
Andrew Welsh will be followed by Rosie Kane. After Andrew Welsh has spoken, I will be prepared to accept a motion without notice to extend the debate.
I congratulate my colleague John Swinney on choosing this particular subject for debate. The number of signatories to his motion and the number of members who want to speak show that he has indeed chosen wisely.
This afternoon, an important cause is before members. I can say, without any sense of cliché, that carers truly are the unsung heroes and heroines of our society. However, is our society sharing the burden of such individuals and recognising the value and worth of what they do? Few of us will ever be in the situation of being responsible for 24-hour care and concern for others. Whether a past generation of women who sacrificed their life prospects to look after their elderly parents or the young people who dedicate themselves to the welfare and well-being of others, such people truly deserve our respect and our assistance as a community.
Few of us have ever had to face the reality of providing constant, open-ended care. That is one reason why I have always been a great supporter of respite care, whereby society shares individuals' burdens and recognises the importance of their voluntary contribution to the welfare of others. The work of volunteer organisations has done a great service in drawing to our attention the problems that face young carers in Scotland. However, a major problem for all voluntary organisations is the constant insecurity that they face about funding. I appeal to the Government to think again about public funding for such actions and activities.
Small amounts of public investment can reap large rewards in improving the lifestyles and life opportunities of carers and those for whom they care. With its local knowledge and local service input, local government should be specifically assisted to carry out its role. In Angus, our social work and health authorities have funded a young carers worker within the Princess Royal Trust for Carers centre for carers.
As a society, we must do more to identify the extent of the problem because, in many ways, it remains hidden, and young people cope privately and well with situations that are way beyond their years, experience and means. I congratulate the Princess Royal Trust and all connected with it on their work for the 90 young carers who are known to it in Angus. However, I want this debate to spark off a quest to identify the real extent of the problem and hence to address the human need involved.
The application of relatively small resources, used by dedicated trust workers, can bring great returns in assisting, encouraging and supporting young people whose daily actions and dedication not only deserve our support but are an example to us all. This is a national problem and it deserves national assistance as well as local action.
I am now willing to accept a motion without notice to extend the meeting by 20 minutes. Is it agreed that a motion without notice be moved?
Members indicated agreement.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by 20 minutes.—[Mrs Margaret Ewing.]
Motion agreed to.
I am grateful to the minister for agreeing to the extension.
I congratulate John Swinney and thank him for lodging the motion and for drawing our attention to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers' report and its findings. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Perth and Kinross found that 200 young carers were unknown to those who provide care services. In addition, one carer was found to be only five years old. Sadly, those figures are probably repeated throughout the country.
John Swinney outlined most of the roles that young carers carry out in society, from shopping, cleaning and picking up medication, to bathing and assisting with personal care—you name it, young people are doing it behind closed doors. Those young people of all ages and backgrounds are picking up the slack and saving the authorities a fortune, as Mark Ruskell said. The cost to the young carers is their childhood.
The 2001 census estimated that there are 16,700 young carers in Scotland. However, as John Swinney mentioned, the recent survey by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers found that there could be and probably are as many as 100,000 young carers throughout Scotland. Organisations such as the Glasgow young carers project and the Shakespeare Street young carers project in Maryhill work hard to support young carers. However, that is not an easy task if they are under-resourced and it is impossible if they do not know where the young carers are.
The issue is about a big shift from the state to families, which started with Thatcher and continues today. Now it is the most vulnerable in society—our children—who are picking up the slack. Local authorities have a duty to assess the needs of young carers, but many authorities do not, cannot or do not have the assessment tools to do so. Many projects are hugely underfunded, and it is those requiring care and the children who provide care who pay the price. It is bad enough for somebody to be ill without them having to worry about the fact that their child is looking after them.
Care is not the responsibility of our children or young people; it is the responsibility of the Government. No child should have that responsibility thrust upon them, and I draw the minister's attention to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 6 states that a child has the right to life and to the best chance to develop fully. Article 32 states that the Government must protect children from doing work that could be dangerous, could harm their health or could interfere with their education. If ministers are committed to supporting children and young carers, they should also read article 27, which states that every child has the right to a fair standard of living. Parents should provide that standard of living and, in cases where parents cannot do so, an adequate standard should be provided by the Government.
I take my hat off to the young people who are here today. I pat them on the back and I offer them my support, but patting them on the back is not enough. I am humbled and amazed by them. I want to liberate them from their role as carers in such a way that they do not have to worry about the possibility of their families being broken up, so that they can get on with their childhoods.
Like other members, I congratulate John Swinney on instigating the debate. The issue of young carers is one that has been recognised only really in the past few years and, although there are examples of very good projects, a lot of ground still needs to be covered. That is particularly the case in remoter rural areas such as the Highlands and Islands region that I represent.
Like other members, I pay tribute to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, which runs the Highland carers project, which does a lot of work online to support young carers. I am particularly pleased that the Highland Council is in the process of developing what seems to me to be an excellent young carers strategy to deal with the problems of that remote area. Being a young carer in a remote rural area is very isolating indeed, not just in terms of distance but in terms of social contact. It is difficult for someone who lives in a small community to maintain friendships if they cannot meet their friends after school or at weekends, or if their friends do not understand the responsibilities that they have.
Young carers have a range of responsibilities, from household chores to emotional support, to personal care and indeed to some heavy physical tasks. Unlike adult carers, young carers can worry about the authorities finding out their family situation in case the family is split up or in case the family is stigmatised by the rest of the community. It is even more isolating in a small community if a young person is caring for an adult who suffers from substance abuse—something that might not be reported to the authorities, or even admitted to neighbours, because of the social stigma attached to it. I note the Executive's response to "Hidden Harm: Responding to the needs of children of problem drug users". We must also look to see how we can support the children of those parents who abuse alcohol.
The Highland Council's proposal to have support for young carers centred in the local high school will surely make the education service more aware of the need for support and understanding, but health and social services must also be alert to the needs and entitlements of young carers. Indeed, they must be aware of their existence and I am pleased to see that that consideration has also been included in the Highland Council draft plan.
Two young carers projects are operating in the Highlands, one in Sutherland—in fact, the young carers from Sutherland took part in the riding for the opening of the Parliament building—and one on Skye. The Skye young carers project goes from strength to strength, and 48 young people are being supported in Portree. Since August, they have had their own premises in the town, funded by money from LEADER +, which provides a drop-in centre and gives them one-to-one support. We hope to extend that service to the south of Skye and to Lochalsh in the near future.
As with projects in other areas, there is the worry of getting continued local authority funding and the concern that the excellent plans that are being drawn up by Highland Council will fail in the end because of lack of resources. I look to the Executive to ensure that that does not happen.
When a speaker comes a bit further down the pecking order, the problem is that most of the issues have already been raised. The problem is exacerbated when one Highlands MSP follows another who has already spoken about all the local issues.
I want to raise two particular points. The first is about hidden carers, as mentioned by John Swinney and Maureen Macmillan. Some carers hide the care that they provide. That is especially true when there are mental health and drug and alcohol problems.
I, too, commend the work of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. The debate has taken me back to a presentation made by young carers from Golspie in committee room 1 when the Parliament was in its old home up the road. They gave us a drama presentation to illustrate the many issues that affect them in their responsibilities caring for their parents—for example, having to conceal their parents' problems, especially those relating to mental health, drugs and, in one particular case, alcohol. The young people felt that their loyalty to their parents would be questioned if they went outside to ask for care. Maureen Macmillan raised that issue and it was wonderfully illustrated by the Golspie carers. We also heard about the effect of the young people's caring responsibilities on their schoolwork and their achievement of qualifications, and about the impact on life's opportunities.
There were some points that John Swinney did not mention; one was bullying at school. A paper from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers highlighted the fact that one survey found that almost every young carer whom the trust supported had been bullied at some time. Another issue was physical ill health—for example, tiredness, stress and worry, and mental health problems.
Many carers do not recognise themselves as carers. They are children and part of a family. We all naturally help our family without labelling ourselves as carers. It is shocking that there could be up to five times more carers than is recorded at present.
I thank John Swinney for giving us the opportunity to have this debate.
I add my thanks to John Swinney for highlighting this issue. Inevitably the debate will contain a degree of repetition, but some things bear repeating so I will carry on regardless.
Wendy Alexander told us that Princess Anne said that no one expects to be a carer. However, many do not recognise themselves as carers. Although a question on the issue was contained in the most recent census, even the total of 16,700 carers identified is almost certain to be an underestimate.
How do we find young carers? That question bothers me a lot. Are schools, general practitioners, health visitors and other community professionals geared up to look out for the signs and investigate whether a youngster is taking on caring responsibilities? Young carers are unlikely to have the knowledge, confidence, contacts, ability to seek help—or even the likelihood of being listened to—that adults do. It is therefore especially important for adults to look out for them. Do the professionals know what to do if they find young carers? What is included in teachers' or health professionals' training and how is information about local and national support disseminated? We hope that the minister will look into those questions and perhaps come back to us with answers.
It is essential that there is more awareness and more take-up of the statutory right of a carer to have his or her needs assessed. Obviously, that has to be backed up by service provision to meet identified needs. If the statutory right of a young carer to have his or her needs assessed is taken up, it would benefit young carers not only directly but indirectly. Young carers often pick up where an adult carer who can no longer cope has left off. Support for the adult carer before that point is reached would save a huge amount of heartache and suffering—not to mention money.
The final point that I want to make is that young carers in rural settings are even more isolated. For example, it is difficult and expensive to organise the peer groups that their urban counterparts find so helpful and reassuring. My nominee to attend the official opening of the Parliament was someone who had been a young-carer support worker, employed part-time, with a case load of more than 30 young carers scattered all over central Aberdeenshire. It was hard for her even to visit all her charges, because of the travelling distances and times involved.
We can, should and must do more for those young people, who are not only being robbed of a care-free childhood but often being left to carry adult burdens. Good work is being done, but a great deal more of it is needed urgently.
I congratulate John Swinney on bringing such an important issue to the forefront of our minds and join colleagues in welcoming to the Parliament representatives of Scottish young carers. I am pleased that many members who made speeches in my members' business debate on carers in June of last year are present tonight. It is vital that the Parliament keeps such matters high on its agenda.
Young carers have lived in the shadows for far too long. Too often, they take on the burdens of responsibility of people far beyond their years and do not come forward to get the support they deserve. For some young carers, caring is an occasional task, but for others, who may live with a relative, it can be a 24/7 responsibility. For some, there will be emotional rewards, recognition, love and appreciation for the efforts that they have made, but for others, such as those who care for people with a mental illness or dementia, there may be very little recognition or feedback for the sacrifices that they make. That is task enough for anyone, but if we add to that the pressures of doing well at school, nurturing friendships, coping with peer pressure to fit in, we get a vague idea of the immense pressures that young carers have to deal with day in, day out.
Thankfully, support groups are now springing up. In my constituency, I am in regular contact with the Princess Royal Trust for Carers centre in Irvine, where the staff are doing a fantastic job not only in assisting young carers, but in identifying hidden young carers. The centre runs homework clubs and sends representatives into schools to raise the profile of carers and to take away the stigma. It also organises trips for young people and maintains close contact with the social services team to ensure that the entire family can be supported.
We have come a long way and a great deal has been achieved, but continued commitment and investment are required. Supporting carers is not an optional extra; it should be an integral part of service delivery. I know that the minister is highly sympathetic to these issues and I hope that she will take the opportunity that the debate offers to progress a positive agenda. I again congratulate John Swinney and thank the young people for coming to the Parliament to put their case to us.
I preface my remarks by thanking the many individual members, including the minister, and the groups and Parliament staff who sent me kind wishes in various forms during my recent stay in hospital. That meant a great deal. I watched all the early debates in the new building from a horizontal position. I am glad to be back in a vertical position and to be able to participate in a debate with members face to face. [Applause.]
I am especially glad that my first speech on my return to the Parliament is in support of the excellent motion in the name of my friend and colleague John Swinney, because he has raised a very important issue.
I want to concentrate on the educational side, from my experience as a teacher. Mark Ruskell spoke about the need to ensure that teachers are made aware during their training of the need to recognise that many youngsters who arrive late or show little interest in class work or homework are not necessarily disciplinary cases, but youngsters who need support and help because they are caring for someone in their household. Often, the person they are caring for is a parent who is ill, so they take on the responsibility for ensuring that their younger siblings are washed, dressed, breakfasted and ready for school. In the evening, they go home to a similar routine of shopping, cooking and ensuring that medication is available. It is important that there is a facility for such youngsters to be questioned gently, because they often hide what is happening to them and do not want to talk openly about it. The teaching profession must ensure that there is such a facility.
Put quite simply, some children have lost out on the best and most important developmental years of their lives, both educationally and socially. Often, they have had neither the time for homework or further study nor been able to participate in any of the school's extracurricular activities. I find it sad that, although their friends could go out and play hockey, netball or football, those children had to return home to their responsibilities. It is certain that matters have improved since the time that I was a young teacher; nowadays, we are more aware of the problem.
For a youngster to lose out on those educational and social opportunities is a form of social deprivation. Sadly, it is one that affects a great number of young people in our society. As elected members, we must try to ensure that the direction we take in the Parliament shows our young people that we care for them. We must not ignore the problem; indeed, we have a moral responsibility not to do so.
In the Moray Council area, 165 young carers have been identified. As I am sure members appreciate, they are only the tip of an iceberg. It is a problem that the Princess Royal Trust for Carers is working to highlight.
I am sorry, but I will have to hurry you.
I know that the minister cares deeply about the issue—
Quickly, please.
I know that she will be able to give us the good news that John Swinney seeks.
I congratulate John Swinney on securing a debate on this very important subject and on the way in which he has managed to highlight the issue in the media over the past few days. My contribution will be relatively short: many of the points that I was going to make have already been well covered and I know that other members are keen to speak.
A few weeks ago, with my colleague Margaret Mitchell, I had the pleasure of meeting the young carers group in Perth and Kinross. It was moving to hear the youngsters tell their individual stories about their caring roles. The young folk told us about looking after parents, grandparents and siblings who were disabled, had mental health problems or suffered from drug or alcohol addiction.
Because of their caring roles, those young folk are missing out on school and—accordingly—on life opportunities. As Margaret Ewing said, because young carers have to continue in their caring role when they return home after their lessons have finished, they cannot engage in after-school activities such as sports or pursue hobbies. They are unable to engage in normal social activities with their peer group and often have few friends of their own age. That means that their emotional development is adversely affected.
The Perth and Kinross young carers project, which is run by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, does a tremendous job in assisting those young people. The project offers a Duke of Edinburgh award scheme for youngsters, an 11-13 group with different activities and a homework club. Crucially, the activities encourage socialisation and help the young folk to deal with their problems of isolation. The project also runs a number of seasonal activities.
A mapping exercise in the Perth and Kinross area revealed that that rural area could contain as many as 200 young carers. The number is huge and deeply worrying and the Perth and Kinross young carers project does not have the resources to deal with the present demand for its services.
Although the young carers project in Perth is doing a wonderful job, it needs more resources to help it address this growing social problem. Throughout Scotland, the provision of services for young carers is at best patchy. I hope that today's debate will highlight the issues and help to push the needs of young carers up the political agenda. For too long, those young people have been hidden from public view.
It goes without saying that people who carry out a caring role deserve an accessible and well-resourced support network. That is particularly true of young carers. I am delighted that so many members have stayed behind to take part in this important debate in which the crucial points that have to be raised have been reiterated again and again.
It is essential that we ensure that caring for a family member does not impact negatively on young people's development, education or social activities. Children and young people are entitled to the chance to be just what they are—children and young people. They should not have to shoulder the responsibilities that are more suited to an adult.
As we have heard, there is evidence that caring for relatives impacts negatively on young people's lives. A Scottish Executive central research unit publication of 2002, entitled "Young Carers: assessments and services", highlighted that sole or primary young carers' school attendance or performance is often affected by their caring role. It seems self-evident that if a pupil is coming to school late or missing whole days because of the burden of their caring role, their educational attainment will be adversely affected. I do not believe that schools are geared up to pick that up, but I know that teachers are becoming much more aware of the problem.
Recent research has also indicated the detrimental effects of caring on the mental health of young people. As we are all well aware, mental health issues affect a huge number of the population. One in five of us will be affected at some time in our lives. I am relieved that mental health is one of the Scottish Executive's priorities. Early intervention is essential, so we need to ensure that we target young people.
We are moving in the right direction, and I welcome the commitment that the Executive has shown to ensuring that young people are supported in their caring roles. Through the carers strategy, we have seen an increase from £5 million a year in 1999 to £20 million this year in the funding that is available to support young carers. However, we do not want to perpetuate young caring; we need to ensure that holistic support is provided to whole families, so that young people are protected from inappropriate levels of caring. We need more partnership working across adult and children's services to achieve such an holistic goal.
The young carers project in Dundee, which is in the region that I represent, has been mentioned. It benefited from social inclusion funding and received £170,000 between 2002 and 2005. I add my voice to those calling for continued support for that project.
In my last minute—
Last seconds.
—I want to mention the work of Professor Kathleen Marshall, the commissioner for children and young people in Scotland, and the recently appointed staff of the commission, who safeguard the rights of children and young people.
Quickly, please.
She wants to ensure that children and young people are aware of their rights. The first of their rights is to be just that—a child. She is already aware of the impact of mental health issues on young people. I look forward to close contact between the children's commissioner and various parliamentary committees, so that young carers and young people can always be at the top of our agenda.
I join other members in congratulating John Swinney on securing this important debate, which highlights and recognises the work that young carers do in supporting their families, and which, more important, provides us with the opportunity to suggest what could be done to give young carers greater support.
It goes without saying that we should know how many young carers there are, where they are, and what their needs are, but we do not. Consequently, a crucial first step in ensuring that young carers are supported is to identify them as carers as early as possible. Schools are best placed to help with the identification process. That is already being done in some local authority areas, such as Perth and Kinross and North Lanarkshire, where voluntary carers organisations work with guidance staff in some secondary schools. That initiative should be expanded to include briefing staff in primary schools to look for the tell-tale signs, such as a pupil who continually arrives late for school, is constantly tired, gets behind with work, or has a high level of absences as a direct result of the pressures of their role at home. Occasionally, as a release from the pressures at home, some children can be disruptive or indulge in antisocial behaviour. When that is the case, funding should be accessed from moneys that are made available by the Executive to tackle antisocial behaviour, to address the problems and to give the young carers the support that they need.
The essential point is this: to tackle the problems of young carers and to provide the support that is required, there has to be stable core funding or foundation funding, like the funding that has been put in place by North Lanarkshire Council, as others have already mentioned. Among other things, that would allow voluntary organisations to offer the longer-term support that enables potential problems to be identified and addressed at an early stage.
Firefighting to deal with crises will always be more expensive than continuous support. I call on the minister to take that point on board and to ensure that three-year core funding is available for organisations that support young carers throughout Scotland and that renewed funding is decided early enough to ensure that the necessary stability continues.
I congratulate John Swinney on securing the debate and on his thought-provoking speech. The subject is of real importance.
One of the first groups that I had the pleasure of showing around the new Parliament building was a group of young carers from my constituency who were brought to the Parliament by staff from the Glasgow west carers centre, which operates in Glasgow Anniesland. It does sterling work in identifying young carers and trying to ensure that those exceptional young people have the support that they need. Pat Moran and her staff are to be commended for their work.
On that group's visit to the Parliament, I took the opportunity to sit down and listen to what the young people said to me. One of the things that struck me, as a former teacher, was the difficulties that young carers can face at school, and it is on those difficulties that I want to touch briefly, as did our colleagues Margaret Ewing and Marlyn Glen.
Every one of the young people to whom I spoke that day raised with me their concerns about the variable support that they received in their schools. Before schools are able to attempt to address young carers' needs, they must create an atmosphere of trust, in which a young person feels able to confide in a member of staff without any fear or apprehension of a negative response. The young carers expressed to me a clear desire for properly trained members of staff to act in a pastoral capacity, so that they have someone to speak to and to keep updated on their home situation.
When schools offer such a service, it is sometimes done half-heartedly or unsuitably, with new and inexperienced staff often finding themselves in roles for which they lack the appropriate in-service training to address the young person's singular needs adequately. It might be worth local authorities' while to explore the possibility of each school having a designated support worker who is drawn from a carers centre to act as a source of advice to any such pastoral teacher. The introduction of such properly trained and supported members of staff would greatly increase the level of support that is offered to the young people. I have no doubt that carer support centres throughout Scotland would be more than willing to work in conjunction with schools to help to train and brief staff on such issues. Indeed, the Glasgow west carers centre has tried to help young carers and schools deal with such problems by drawing up a standard carers programme of the type that I have been discussing.
Other members said that absence should be considered sympathetically, which is also important. If we are serious about creating the environment for every child in Scotland to be able to fulfil their potential, we must consider putting in place a range of measures to support young carers. Only that type of sensitive and coherent approach will meet those young citizens' complex needs, and I look forward to hearing the minister's thoughts on those suggestions and the many others that members from all parties have made in the debate.
I thank all members present for co-operating in the timing of the debate.
I often think that the Parliament should take pride in how it connects with Scotland's youth. The debate has provided an opportunity to hear the voice of a particular and, I am sure that we all agree, special group of young people, and I too welcome them to the Parliament.
My former role as a support teacher and my role as a member of the Parliament have given me, as other members' roles have obviously given them, an insight into the issues that young carers face. I share John Swinney's desire to ensure that that group of children and young people is supported and protected, so I thank him for initiating the debate. I recognise the work that has been done by the cross-party group on carers—by people such as Karen Whitefield and Irene Oldfather, who have initiated related debates in the past.
The debate has rightly focused on the work that still needs to be done if we are to support and protect young carers in a way that they deserve. I am pleased that the motion recognises that some progress is being made in this important area. The need to support Scotland's young carers is recognised in the Scottish Executive's carers strategy, which was launched five years ago next month. Under the strategy, and through significant investment in services attached to it, the Executive has sought to put in place the building blocks that will help deliver a better deal for all Scotland's carers.
The strategy has delivered new and improved services, including new services to support young carers. Under the strategy, the number of young carers projects in Scotland has risen from 23 in 1999 to 52 this year. To improve the quality of those services, we funded the Princess Royal Trust for Carers in developing national standards for young carer support projects. Those are now in operation on a voluntary basis throughout Scotland. To promote those services among teachers and pupils, we have made young carer information packs freely available in all schools.
Many members have spoken about the importance of schools in the context of young carers, and I agree with that. I am convinced that schools have a vital role to play in identifying young carers, as well as in ensuring that they are supported in their studies. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 will help to ensure that young people who, for whatever reason, require additional help to aid their learning get the support that they need. I will be meeting the Deputy Minister for Education and Young People at an early date to discuss how the needs of young carers are to be taken into account under the 2004 act and, more generally, to consider how schools can get involved in identifying young carers and making them aware that support is available.
Accessing support has been made easier for young carers. Our carers strategy has delivered significant new legislative rights for carers, including young carers, who now have the right to an independent assessment of their support needs for the first time, whenever they need it. We will need to monitor how that progresses, and there will be a requirement on local authorities and on national health service boards to provide data and information on carer assessment.
Even with that progress, the issues for policy makers, service providers and the voluntary sector have become even more pressing. There is now clear evidence that there are many more young people with caring responsibilities than was previously thought. There are varying estimates of the actual number of young carers, as we have heard today. We need to establish what the actual figure is, as well as the level of care that is being provided. I will be looking to conduct work in that area as a matter of priority. I thank those members who raised that particular issue in the debate. We will explore with stakeholders how that work can be done, taking into account the great sensitivities surrounding the issue.
We need to take action across a range of fronts to improve support structures for young carers, a point that was raised by many members. We need to have long-term mechanisms in place to identify young carers, using a range of avenues, from schools to health professionals. We need to ensure that support services for young carers are delivered in a joined-up way and we need to establish closer links between children's services and adult services in order to facilitate holistic family support.
We need to integrate further the young carers agenda with other policy initiatives, for example our work on social inclusion and our work to support children and families, particularly those who are affected by drug and alcohol misuse. We need to ensure financial stability for projects, another issue that has quite rightly been raised during the debate. I am speaking about the kind of projects that support families in need, and particularly children in need. The record levels of investment that are now being provided by the Executive for social care should help to create that stability. We must continue to seek stability of funding. There is a lot more to do.
The minister has rightly stressed the importance of financial stability for the network of projects that exist in Scotland today. Can she give Parliament any reassurance about what practical steps the Government can take to guarantee that financial stability? There are many projects around the country that are looking over the precipice as far as their finance is concerned, and they could achieve a great deal more if that financial uncertainty was removed.
Yes. I think I have been as clear as I can be that I acknowledge the need for financial stability for those projects. Since 1999 resources have quadrupled and we must acknowledge that additional funding; however, I undertake to work to ensure financial stability.
I acknowledge fully that there is a lot more to do. In order to agree a way forward, I want to work closely with organisations such as the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, local authorities and the NHS as well as with members of the Parliament. As a first step, I intend to meet representatives of the main carers organisations in Scotland over the coming weeks. In answer to Karen Whitefield's question, I will be discussing with them the need for a young carers strategy and I want to hear their views on the way forward for it. I also need to hear the voice of young carers; that is absolutely vital.
Tackling the young carers agenda in the focused and cross-cutting way that is required is an absolutely huge task. We also need to deliver other priorities that we have already agreed with national carers organisations, such as our commitment to introduce NHS carer information strategies and our work to secure more robust evidence on how the carers strategy is impacting on carers, including young carers. We are also undertaking a complex and comprehensive examination of the future role of informal care, which will include considering the role of young carers. The aim is to set the policy direction now so that we can best meet the challenges that we will face over the next 10 years. Our findings are expected to emerge next summer.
As we consider the way ahead, we need to ensure that we have clarity of purpose. I believe strongly that we must work towards minimising young caring through the increased provision of family based support. I agree strongly with Rosie Kane on that issue. However, that is not to dismiss the invaluable contribution made by organisations, such as the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, which deliver the valuable support to young carers that is acknowledged in the motion. Neither is it intended to devalue in any way the immense contribution that young carers are making day in, day out here and now. I believe—and I am sure that everybody here agrees—that young carers can be justifiably proud of what they do. I join the Parliament in applauding all Scotland's young carers, including those who are with us here today.
It is the task of the Executive and the Parliament to work with young carers to support them and protect their rights, not as young carers but as children and young people—their right to an education, a stable and secure life and equality of opportunity. I assure the members who have spoken so passionately, and the young carers who are with us, that I acknowledge the importance of the issue and pledge to take forward our work. That might be one of our most significant challenges yet. We are already helping to lift children out of poverty. We need to help lift them from underneath the burden of care to a place where they can be children first and foremost.
Meeting closed at 18:23.