NEW research has found there are six young carers in every Surrey secondary school class, meaning more than 13,000 secondary school age children in the county are working to support parents, siblings and other family members.

The research was commissioned by the BBC and carried out by Nottingham University, and also revealed that the number of young carers in England is significantly higher than previously estimated at 800,000.

According to Action for Carers Surrey, young carers are often undetected, leaving children to manage on their own, often struggling, isolated and failing to thrive.

Being a young carer can affect school attendance, educational achievement, mental and physical health, and future life chances.

Across the county, Surrey Young Carers, part of the UK’s Action for Carers, works to support these children by offering free, impartial information and support to young carers and their families on minimising the impact of their caring role.

They provide workshops, forums, fun activities and groups, as well as giving young carers time out from caring and helping them achieve their full potential.

Training is also offered to health, social care and educational professionals.

One young carer said: “Now I’m at uni I’m heading into my third year studying costume design and making, which is very fun!

“And I’m really, really glad that I was a part of Surrey Young Carers because if it wasn’t for them, no way would I be at university now.

“More than likely I would be homeless or would have been homeless 100 oer cent at one point.

“And I would definitely be struggling a lot more with mental health and wellbeing issues.”

Young carers can contact the charity on (01483) 568269, or visit www.surrey-youngcarers.org.uk for more information.