Around 3 million children in the UK have a family member with a disability. Not all take on a caring role that is inappropriate to their age. Few parents want their children to be carers but it can happen for many reasons, such as families being isolated, afraid of outside interference or unsupported. Find out why some young people become young carers, and what effect this has on their lives by following the links.

The 2004 Young Carers Report on over 4000 young carers from the Young Carer Research Group at Loughborough University has the current statistics on young carers.