Hansard

It is a privilege to speak in this debate, and I thank my colleague Paul O’Kane for bringing it to the chamber. I have to say that we are not used to speaking in the chamber when the gallery is so full, especially when there are young people up there saying things like, “Come on—impress me then, big man.” That is not usually what we do.

The Scottish Government has estimated that there are at least 30,000 young carers under the age of 18 in Scotland, although it is thought that that is an underrepresentation. As Jeremy Balfour eloquently put it, many young carers do not realise that they are young carers, and studies have indicated that there could be as many as 100,000 young carers in Scotland.

The theme of this year’s young carers action day is “give me a break”—or in Scottish parlance, “geezabreak”. Survey data in Scotland has consistently shown that only 3 or 4 per cent of carers are having a break. From my conversations with Carers Trust and the coalition of carers in Scotland, I know that breaks look different for each individual. Sometimes, breaks can involve simply having the chance to do everyday activities that people who are not carers take for granted, such as doing the shopping or attending a hospital appointment, having a coffee with a friend or even participating in everyday activities or interacting with friends.

We also know that young carers face barriers in accessing support and that those in rural areas, in particular, face challenges in accessing their right to a break because of the lack of available support and the right options for them.

For the past 18 years, Carers Trust has organised the Scottish young carers festival, which allows young carers to have a break away. That festival is a highlight of my year, as it is for many of my colleagues in the chamber. As MSPs, we have days that are better than others, and that day is one of the best. We get the opportunity to watch the young carers in carefree abandonment, doing things like strapping old men into harnesses and pushing them down zip lines in the hope of making them squeal. On top of that, we get the opportunity to sit around a table with young carers while they express their views to us, question us and tell us what their lives are like and how we, in this chamber, can make their lives better. I always hear about things that I would never imagine. For example, I hear about the potential barriers for carers at school, including—potentially—a lack of understanding among teachers. We need to ensure that all teachers are properly aligned with, and understand, the needs of carers, including why homework is sometimes late and why pupils may sometimes come into school tired and unable to give their best work.

Breaks such as the young carers festival play an important role in the preventative health agenda by allowing carers time away to help them to manage their stress and cope better. There is mounting evidence that caring is a social determinant of health and contributes to health inequalities. For example, we know that 91 per cent of young carers experience a detrimental impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing as a result of their caring role.

I had so much to say, Deputy Presiding Officer, but I realise that time is short. However, I will highlight that there is now an opportunity to correct the situation, as legislation is currently passing through Parliament and is at stage 3. I believe that measures could have been brought forward in secondary legislation before now, but we are where we are. It is incumbent on us, in this place, to give that bill all the support that we can. We must continue to recognise the huge contribution that young carers make, to support them and their families and to ensure that they get all the help that they possibly can.