Young people who care for a relative less likely to go on to higher education – ESRI

The ESRI's Caregiving Among Young Adults in Ireland report, part of the Growing Up in Ireland series, reports that young carers are more likely to underperform in the Leaving Cert. Picture: iStock

Teenagers providing care in their own home are more likely to underperform in the Leaving Cert and less likely to proceed to third level education, a new report has found. 

The research, Caregiving Among Young Adults in Ireland —  produced by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) — found that a quarter of 17-year-olds are engaged in domestic caregiving. The new report, part of the the national longitudinal Growing Up in Ireland study, stated that that figure fell to a fifth by the time the subjects had turned 20.