Teachers' experiences and perceptions of supporting young carers in schools in England: challenges and barriers and working with outside agencies.
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| Title: | Teachers' experiences and perceptions of supporting young carers in schools in England: challenges and barriers and working with outside agencies. |
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| Authors: | Warhurst, Amy1 (AUTHOR) amy.warhurst@winchester.ac.uk, Bayless, Sarah1 (AUTHOR), Maynard, Emma2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Pastoral Care in Education. Jun2026, Vol. 44 Issue 2, p235-259. 25p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Teachers, *Interagency coordination, *Government policy, *Human behavior, *Child caregivers, *Elementary schools, Awareness, Sociology |
| Geographic Terms: | England |
| Abstract: | Despite recent improvements in approaches to supporting young carers, including legislative changes, schools continue to face challenges in supporting young carers' varied needs. This research aimed to understand the perceptions and experiences of teachers and school staff who support young carers in schools within England, through pastoral processes, and multi-agency working while addressing key challenges in identifying young carers and engaging them in available support. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data from 18 participants. Three main themes were identified: School Resources, School Processes, and Young Carer Identity. These highlighted a need to raise awareness of the core themes in the experiences of young carers, lobbying for improved statutory protection and promoting young carers' voices. Furthermore, whilst it is widely accepted that young carers are a 'hidden' group, teachers in this study also felt that those who provide care and support to young carers and their families can be both unknown and unacknowledged. HIGHLIGHTS: Three key challenges emerged from this qualitative study, which should be addressed in future work: The need to raise awareness about young caregiving with a) the general population to aid family/self-identity and family/self-referral for support; b) within schools (at governance and teacher education levels) to help them identify and then to support their young carers; c) within government (specifically the Department for Education and at local authority level) to ensure funding and policies are in place to fully support young carers throughout their schooling. The need to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group in need of a coordinated system for identification and support. The need to promote young carers voices and agency in the support they receive as a carer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | Despite recent improvements in approaches to supporting young carers, including legislative changes, schools continue to face challenges in supporting young carers' varied needs. This research aimed to understand the perceptions and experiences of teachers and school staff who support young carers in schools within England, through pastoral processes, and multi-agency working while addressing key challenges in identifying young carers and engaging them in available support. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data from 18 participants. Three main themes were identified: School Resources, School Processes, and Young Carer Identity. These highlighted a need to raise awareness of the core themes in the experiences of young carers, lobbying for improved statutory protection and promoting young carers' voices. Furthermore, whilst it is widely accepted that young carers are a 'hidden' group, teachers in this study also felt that those who provide care and support to young carers and their families can be both unknown and unacknowledged. HIGHLIGHTS: Three key challenges emerged from this qualitative study, which should be addressed in future work: The need to raise awareness about young caregiving with a) the general population to aid family/self-identity and family/self-referral for support; b) within schools (at governance and teacher education levels) to help them identify and then to support their young carers; c) within government (specifically the Department for Education and at local authority level) to ensure funding and policies are in place to fully support young carers throughout their schooling. The need to recognise young carers as a vulnerable group in need of a coordinated system for identification and support. The need to promote young carers voices and agency in the support they receive as a carer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 02643944 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/02643944.2025.2491353 |
