Unseen, unheard, and unsupported: why things need to change for young carers in Australia
Joshua Patrick | 17 | WA
At six years old, I became a carer, nurse, and advocate for my sister, Charlotte. Born with complex disabilities and health conditions, her life has been a series of battles - surgeries, hospital stays, and relentless challenges. Caring for her involves incredibly taxing tasks that most adults would find challenging—home medical procedures, mobility assistance, intense behavioural support and seemingly endless appointments, PEG feeds and medications.
“Being a young carer has positively shaped me, but it has also isolated me. ”
Young carers like me are so often invisible, often termed “glass children”, this term describing a sibling whose parents are so focused on their child with special needs that they are literally “looked right through”. While we are physically present, our struggles and efforts often go unnoticed, not only within our families, but at school and in social settings. School can be a battlefield. After weeks in hospital with Charlotte, I’d return to missed content, surprise assessments, and lost friendships. When I transferred to a more supportive school, my life changed. For the first time, I felt seen and understood. Absences and lateness due to my caring role were recorded as reasonable, and accommodations made to ensure that I did not fall behind in my learning or miss important assessments.
Despite the many painful and difficult moments on my young carer journey, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world. My young carer role has shaped my values, my perspective, and given me a clear and fulfilling purpose. However, young carers shouldn’t have to endure the challenges I experienced. We are 400,000 strong in Australia, yet most remain unseen and unsupported. Poverty, isolation, and mental health struggles are overrepresented in the young carer demographic, and society often overlooks us.
Identifying young carers and providing tailored supports can change lives. Programs aimed at targeting the specific needs of young carers prove that when we’re empowered, we thrive. The expansion of the Carers Australia Young Carers Bursary to $4000 to all eligible applicants to help towards study expenses, is an exciting recent development. However, more must be done. Young carers deserve to be empowered to balance their caring responsibilities with their personal study/career dreams, without sacrificing their well-being.
It is my mission to continue advocating for all the young people out there who selflessly care for family members daily, placing the needs of their care recipients before their own while juggling the usual pressures experienced by all young people.