Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support young carers with their education in the (a) North East of England and (b) UK.

The government is committed to supporting young carers; to improve their health and wellbeing, and to protect them from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities that can impact on their education.

In June, the cross-government Carers Action Plan, a two-year programme of tailored work to support unpaid carers of all ages, was launched: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carers-action-plan-2018-to-2020. Section 3 sets out the government’s actions specifically to support young carers. This includes plans to improve: identification of young carers; educational opportunities and outcomes; access to support and services; and transition for young adult carers. In delivering on these commitments, together with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education is currently inviting bids to undertake a review of best practice in identifying young carers.

This action builds on significant changes to the law through the Children and Families Act 2014, to improve how young carers and their families are identified and supported.