Counting Young Carers in Switzerland – A Study of Prevalence

Leu, Agnès; Frech, Marianne; Wepf, Hannah; Sempik, Joe; Joseph, Stephen; Helbling, Laura Alexandra; Moser, Urs; Becker, Saul; Jung, Corinna

doi:10.1111/chso.12296

Cited by 62 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Many results according to gender differences, care recipients, nature and extent of caring activities provided by children and adolescents are in line with other study results , although direct comparisons are difficult due to different designs, sampling strategies, age groups and assessment instruments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…For German‐speaking countries, results of an Austrian survey of ten‐ to 14‐year‐old pupils (n = 7403), a Forsa survey of twelve‐ to 17‐year‐olds (n = 1005) and a recently published online survey from Switzerland of children aged 10–15 years (n = 3991) are available. In Austria, the prevalence of young carers is 4.5% , the Forsa survey shows a prevalence of 5% but has a comparatively small sample , and the Swiss study reports a prevalence of 7.7% . Further figures for Germany are missing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The prevalence of young carers – a standardised survey amongst school students (KiFam‐study)

Metzing

Ostermann

Robens

et al. 2019

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

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Scand J Caring Sci; 2020; 34: 501-513 The prevalence of young carersa standardised survey amongst school students (KiFam-study)Background: Children and adolescents who provide care, assistance or support for a chronically ill family member are called young carers. While there is a growing body of research about their specific situation, needs and impact of caring, only very few studies provide information on prevalence rates. Objectives: The aim was to provide prevalence data for young carers in Germany, and to describe and quantify the nature and extent of their help. Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: Data collection took place between 2016 and 2017 in 44 secondary schools (fifth to 13th grade) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Participants: A total of 6313 students aged from 10 to 22 years participated in this study. They represent 0.5% of the basic population. Methods: Based on the results of a preliminary qualitative study, a standardised electronic questionnaire was developed, which comprised four subject areas: socio-demographic information, general daily aids, health-related quality of life and chronic illness within the family. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests for nominal data and univariate analyses of variance for metrical data together with 95% confidence intervals. Results: 19.6% (n = 1238) of all respondents state that someone in their family needs help due to a chronic illness. Nevertheless, not all of them are involved in caring activities. The prevalence of those defined as young carers in this study is 6.1% (n = 383), 64% are girls. They take on a wide range of activities. In addition to domestic work, they help their ill relatives with mobility, dressing and undressing, medication, feeding, personal hygiene and with intimate care. Conclusions: The data provide a good insight into the situation of young carers. The prevalence rate is higher than expected. It refers to the social relevance of this topic and the need for further investigations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of young carers – a standardised survey amongst school students (KiFam‐study)

Metzing

Ostermann

Robens

et al. 2019

Scandinavian Caring Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These differing perspectives lead to varying estimates of the size of the young carer population (Joseph, Sempik, et al, ). The estimated prevalence of young carers in Europe ranges from 4.5% among Austrian children aged 10–14 years to 8% among UK children aged 11–18 years (Leu et al, ). A recent survey from England among children aged 11–12 and 14–15 years found that 7% of children were engaging in a high amount of caring activity and 3% were engaging in a very high amount (Joseph, Kendall, et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It has been fun. Super‐duper fantastic”: Findings from a Danish respite programme to support young carers

Wind

Jørgensen

2019

Health Soc Care Community

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Awareness of young carers’ experiences and needs is low on governmental and societal levels in Denmark. This article presents findings from the first evaluation of a Danish respite programme, the Buddy Programme, which aims to provide support to young carers aged 5–15 years who experience serious, chronic or mental health problems and/or death of a parent or sibling. Over a four‐six month period, volunteer students from University College Copenhagen offer young carers the opportunity of respite through participating in ordinary activities such as play and sports. In 2017–2018, based on a child‐centred approach, we conducted a qualitative study with interviews focusing on how the Buddy programme affected the children. The interviews took place at programme start, halfway through, and after completion with 22 children and 21 parents, as well as single interviews with 20 Buddies assigned to families after completion. Three main themes were identified: (1) the Buddy programme as an activity, (2) how the Buddy Programme affected the children and (3) ending the Buddy programme and wanting to continue the friendship. Our findings emphasise the importance of fun and cosy activities that provide children with respite from the serious concerns that otherwise fill the lives of young carers. Being with a Buddy created a free space, allowing children to play undisturbed and to temporarily keep concerns and a guilty conscience at a distance. By offering friendship, Buddies provided opportunities for young carers to feel special, be seen, acknowledged and taken seriously as a child with valid and specific needs and interests. Our findings may help increase awareness of the needs and interests of young carers on governmental and societal levels.

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“…"[...] lms can help to make the children's and youth's perspective clearer, because it affects you. That's why we usually watch lms in our meetings for children's advocates [2]. There are lms on the Swedish Family Care Competence Centre's website, where children and youngsters tell their stories, making it lifelike and clear" (P6, R2, Sweden).…”

Section: Awareness Raisingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In families where one of the family members has a physical or mental health problem, children or adolescents are often involved in caregiving roles [1,2]. These young people are de ned in the literature as young carers (YCs), that is: children and young people under 18 years of age who provide or intend to provide care, assistance or support to another family member.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The awareness, visibility and support for young carers across Europe: a Delphi study

Nap¹,

Hoefman²,

Jong³

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

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Background Across Europe there is limited attention paid in media, policy and empirical research to the situation of young carers (YCs) and their needs for support, while similarly to adult carers, they provide care to ill family members. The Delphi study, a qualitative research methodology, which provides the focus for this article, had the overall aim of exploring existing successful strategies to support YCs. Compared to YCs, even less is known about AYCs (Adolescent Young Carers), a group that is in a critical life transition phase. The study forms part of an EU Horizon 2020 funded research project on AYCs aged 15-17 years. MethodsA two-round Delphi study was conducted with 66 experts on YCs from 10 European countries. Topics included: (1) visibility and awareness raising of YCs at local, regional, and national levels, (2) current interventions to support YCs, and (3) future strategies to support YCs. ResultsExperts reported that there is a lack of visibility and awareness about YCs in general and AYCs in particular. Although awareness is slowly increasing in most countries, with the UK ranked highest, experts acknowledged that it remains challenging to identify YCs in many countries. Furthermore, the level and type of support available for YCs differs, with most countries mainly offering support on a local level. Diverse views were expressed regarding future strategies to support YCs. Experts highlighted the importance of specific legislation to formalize the rights of YCs, and the issue of whether young people should be safeguarded from caregiving or if this is part of regular family life. They also emphasised the relevance of available integrated support services for YCs, including schools, family, health and social care.Conclusion(s) with key messageIn most European countries, there is a lack of awareness and visibility on YCs. Identification of YCs is a crucial first step and a common definition of YCs is called for, together with greater opportunities for young adults to identify themselves as YCs.StatementIdentification alone is not sufficient, rather recognition of YCs by society is needed combined with the necessary resources to ensure integrated YC friendly support services.

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Counting Young Carers in Switzerland – A Study of Prevalence

Cited by 62 publications

References 17 publications

The prevalence of young carers – a standardised survey amongst school students (KiFam‐study)

The prevalence of young carers – a standardised survey amongst school students (KiFam‐study)

“It has been fun. Super‐duper fantastic”: Findings from a Danish respite programme to support young carers

The awareness, visibility and support for young carers across Europe: a Delphi study

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