Impact of Care-Giving on Young Carers - Literature review Example

Download file to see previous pages In the document for Every Child Matters, Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government, 2006), Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as
“protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development and ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care (HM Government, 2006, pp. 34-35).

It is ironic that young carers, instead of being ensured of their welfare, are the ones who keep the people they care for safe, leaving them vulnerable to some risks to their own safety and welfare.

Several circumstances such as living with a sick parent, caring for a sibling while their single parent goes off to work, and caring for their elderly grandparents in the absence of their parents may necessitate relying on a child to be an informal caregiver. For some cultures, such as in Latin American and Asian American families, this is expected of children as their contributions to family life and as good preparation for their future (Kuperminc et al, 2009). These situations are often viewed by the adults in the family as opportunities that help promote children’s growth and maturity as well as to learn family values (Weisner, 2001).

On the part of the children's caregivers, different perspectives may be gleaned. Kuperminc et al (2009) found that some adolescents find their own helpfulness in the home to contribute to their positive self-esteem and feelings of interpersonal competence. For adolescents who experience disruption in their lives, the act of caregiving is considered beneficial as it provides the important connection to others that they need as well as fosters positive self-identity (Brubaker & Wright, 2006). Still, other adolescents who live in disadvantaged environments view their caregiving as providing them self-confidence because it makes them feel that they matter and that they can still do something worthwhile (Burton, 2007).

On the other hand, many have also complained of excessive family responsibilities depriving them of the experiences they would otherwise have if they were not tasked with caregiving. They have also mentioned that it harms their health and well-being (Dodson & Dickert, 2004). Children’s stress and academic difficulties have also been reported (East & Weisner, 2009) as well as, school dropout (Jordan, Lara, & McPartland, 1996), depression (Shifren & Kachorek, 2003), and permissive sexual activity among early adolescent girls (East & Jacobson, 2001).

This paper will explore the impact of the responsibility of care-giving on young carers – the reasons why they have been tasked with such responsibility, their perceptions about such responsibility, and the support they need in order to balance their responsibility and live their own lives as growing children, as what Every Child Matters want to ensure.
The literature review will draw on previous studies conducted on this issue that has brought much enlightenment on the cause of young informal carers. It will report on the impact of their caring responsibilities on various aspects of their lives such as their education, psychological and emotional well-being, physical health, and social development as well as important issues that surfaced in previous research. ...Download file to see next pages Read More