Meeting the psychosocial needs of young carers : a youth work perspective

Abstract

In a number of countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland the needs of young people who take care of parents with mental health difficulties have been recognised, with the result that these young people are no longer hidden within the recesses of society. However, in Malta, mental health still carries with it a certain stigma. For this reason it was hypothesized that young carers of parents with mental health difficulties in Malta still remain hidden and their needs unmet by society. This study was conducted with two main aims, the first being to discover what the needs of young carers are, how they affected their development and if these needs were being met by various sectors of the community. The second aim is to determine whether professionals working with young people are aware of the needs of young carers and of the roles and responsibilities they assume. This was carried out by interviewing 3 young carers of parents with mental health difficulties and 4 professionals working with young people. The study revealed that young carers like all young people have a number of basic needs associated with adolescence and emerging adulthood which must be met in a positive manner. But, it was also found that they have a number of needs which differ to those of their non caring peers. The evidence has also shown that even though professionals working with young people are aware of their diverse needs, society is still not providing for them in a positive manner. Due to the small sample size this study is exploratory and the results cannot be generalised.