Young children ‘take care of parents’

CHILDREN as young as five are caring for their ill or disabled parents, a Barnardos report revealed yesterday.

“Many of the young carers take on this role in addition to full time education. So they could be providing up to two hours a day of unpaid care work in addition to attending school and doing homework,” said Anne Conroy, head of Barnardos’ National Children’s Resource Centre.

Care work taken on by young people can include everything from household tasks to personal, social and emotional care for parents or close relatives.