Most young carers would not recognise themselves under the term 'carer' and may need to be asked the question 'do you care for someone?' rather than 'are you a young carer?'; they are children and young people trying to cope as best they can while helping to look after a parent, family member or sibling with an illness or disability.
They may be juggling their education with their caring responsibilities at home, as well as taking on housework responsibilities, such as cooking and cleaning. This is likely to affect their social activities and they are at risk of feeling alone and isolated as a result using up their spare time attending to caring activities and tasks, and subsequently losing friends.