An exploration of young carers’ experiences of school and their perceptions regarding their future career - a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Background: Young carers are young people who care for a relative or a friend with an illness, disability, frailty, a mental health issue or addiction. Across the world, it is challenging to calculate the exact numbers due to the invisible nature of their role that can exist due to stigmatisation and fear of authoritative intrusion. As young carers reach 16 years and over, future career prospects become more significant. Young carers are more likely than their peers not to be in education, employment, or training and are more likely to do poorly at school or college than their non-caregiving peers due to the demands of caring. Recognising that positive engagement at school is a vital correlate of positive employment outcomes, young carers are at risk as their caring role can limit the range of employment opportunities open to them. This paper outlines the protocol for a robust synthesis of the literature surrounding young carers and their career perceptions. The scoping review will address the research question ‘What is known from the literature about young carers in school and their career perceptions?’ The overall aim of this paper is to present a protocol for the scoping review to map the key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research related to young carers in school and their future careers. Methods: The review will follow Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and Levac et al.’s, (2010) scoping review framework. The steps involved include: (1) research question identification; (2) relevant studies identification; (3) selection of studies; (4) data charting; (5) collating, summarising and reporting the results; and (6) stakeholders' consultation. Conclusions: The scoping review is an appropriate first step to employ in presenting the literature to inform a larger research study on young carers’ experiences in school and their perceptions regarding their future careers.

Factors Influencing Aspects of Quality of Life (QoL) in Young Carers: A Translational Review of Literature Giving Specific Consideration to Young Cancer Caregivers and Education

“…This is further supported by the University of Oxford ( 2015), who found that 54% of surveyed carers said they felt they would have achieved higher, had they not had a responsibility of care whilst studying. Whilst this lower-than-average attainment may be accredited to the substantial responsibilities held by young carers (Wong, 2017), this may highlight a need for further, more established, frameworks to be placed in schools to recognise the specific needs of those in a position of care (Moloney et al, 2020), with the aim to close the attainment gap, which may improve employment rates within young carers.…”

“…In addition, young carers will find themselves restricted by distance and flexibility of the role, with many arguing that they must remain within a reasonable distance of the person requiring care, thus limiting employment options (Skovdal et al, 2009). The same could apply for further and higher education, as not all carers will have access to a local university (Moloney et al, 2020) and travel restriction not only affects long term work and education prospects, it could also negatively impact upon personal development and career progression (Crawford et al, 2016).…”

Child poverty and the challenges for Catholic schools in the post-pandemic era

“…Young carers are not necessarily in situations of poverty and deprivation, but the evidence indicates that many of them are in homes with very limited resource (Vizard et al, 2019). Research studies from the UK and Australia indicate that young carers have complex and busy lives and may struggle to attend to their school studies which can compromise opportunities in future employment and Further and Higher Education (Moloney et al, 2020;Moore & Barry, 2014). Further challenges for young carers arose during restrictions and lockdowns as the support for registered carers from social services was often limited or suspended as social service staff reduced physical contact time.…”