Who counts as a young carer
Section 17ZA of the Children Act 1989 defines a young carer as a person under 18 who provides, or intends to provide, care for another person. Care given under a contract or as formal voluntary work doesn’t count. Working Together 2026 uses the same definition, and adds that young adult carers are aged 16 to 25 and may need different support as they move into adulthood (glossary).
A young carer might, for example:
- look after a parent with a physical illness, disability or mental health problem
- care for a parent who misuses drugs or alcohol
- help look after a disabled brother or sister
- interpret for a parent, manage money or medication, or do most of the housework and childcare
Many young carers don’t see themselves as carers, and families may not want to say. That is why both KCSIE and the census guidance stress identification.
What the guidance says
KCSIE 2026 has a new section on young carers (paragraph 248). Schools should be alert to their needs, because caring can affect their attendance, attainment, behaviour and wellbeing. Early identification is essential, so that young carers get support at the right time from the right services. Part one lists being a young carer among the reasons a child may need early help or the targeted early help level of Family Help (paragraph 18).
Working Together 2026 says the same about Family Help (paragraph 141), and sets out the local authority’s duty to assess (paragraph 214).
Working together to improve school attendance 2026 says young carers must be recorded in the school census. Where caring may be contributing to absence, schools should work with the pupil and parents to understand the barriers and put support in place. Where needs go beyond school, schools should work with the local authority on early help (paragraph 53). The July 2026 edition made the inclusion of young carers explicit.
Recording young carers in the census
All schools except nursery schools must return the young carer indicator in the spring census only. The codes are:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| N | Not declared (the default) |
| P | Identified as a young carer by a parent or guardian |
| S | Identified by the school, including where the pupil tells you themselves |
You don’t need consent from parents or the pupil to include this in the census, but you should respect their wishes and feelings about who else knows.
In 2025/26, schools identified 89,800 pupils as young carers. 56% of schools recorded none at all, down from 69% the year before (DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics). A school recording no young carers probably hasn’t found them yet.
How to identify young carers in school
Make it easy to say, and ask more than once:
- Admission forms and data checks. Ask whether anyone at home has an illness or disability, and whether the child helps care for them.
- Attendance conversations. Lateness, odd absences and missed days around a parent’s appointments can be a sign.
- Tutor time, PSHE and assemblies. Explain what a young carer is so that pupils can recognise themselves.
- Things staff notice. These include tiredness, missed homework, worry about home, a need to phone home, parents who can’t come to meetings, and isolation from friends.
- Other services. Adult social care, health visitors and young carers’ services may already know the family.
The DfE’s bullying advice notes that bullying is sometimes aimed at children because they have caring responsibilities. Watch for this too. See bullying in schools.
The young carer’s needs assessment
The local authority must assess a young carer’s needs for support if it appears they may have needs, or if the young carer or a parent asks (section 17ZA(1)). The assessment must:
- consider whether it is appropriate for the child to provide the care, given their own needs and wishes (section 17ZA(7)). Working Together says it should consider whether the caring is appropriate or excessive (paragraph 214)
- consider their education, training and leisure (section 17ZA(8))
- involve the young carer, their parents and anyone else they ask for (section 17ZA(9))
- look at the needs of the whole family, and the local authority must consider combining it with any assessment of the person being cared for (Young Carers (Needs Assessments) Regulations 2015, and Working Together paragraph 214)
The young carer and their parents get a written record (section 17ZA(10)). Schools can help a family ask for an assessment, usually through the local authority’s early help or children’s services front door.
When it becomes a safeguarding concern
Being a young carer isn’t in itself a child protection concern. The DSL should consider early help, targeted Family Help or a referral where:
- the caring is excessive or inappropriate for the child’s age and needs
- the child’s own needs for food, sleep, health or schooling aren’t being met
- a parent’s mental health, substance misuse or domestic abuse in the home is placing the child at risk
Record what you see and hear on the child’s safeguarding record, and follow your normal procedures. See early help and Family Help and how to make a safeguarding referral.
Practical support in school
- A named lead for young carers, and a quiet way for pupils to reach them.
- Flexibility on homework deadlines, detentions for lateness, and trips, where caring is the cause. Record why.
- Attendance support that starts by understanding the barrier, rather than going straight to sanctions.
- Respect for privacy. Agree with the pupil what staff need to know.
- Links to local young carers’ services. The Carers Trust runs a free Young Carers in Schools programme for schools in England.