Young Carers
For an excellent overview of the issues, read this article from the UK Journal of Family Health [https://www.jfhc.co.uk/Supporting_young_carers_and_their_families_using_a_whole_family_approach_20677.aspx]. Note that Australia does not appear to have guidelines such as the UK Carers Strategy. What impact could such a document make?
the Australian government commissioned the Young Carers Research Project [https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/publications-articles/young-carers-research-project-final-report?HTML] in 2002. A German study of young carers [http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6955/7/15/] points out that "No supportive intervention can influence the severity of the illness or the need for care. But it can influence, how a family manages the situation and what resources are given to the family, the chronically ill person as well as to the care-giver, especially to the children." How many of the Australian recommendations have come into effect by 2015? In what ways are these interventions in/effective?
The Journal of Youth Studies [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13676261003801739] has an important meta-study (study of many different studies from around the world). This will give you generalised information that applied to young carers regardless of culture or political situations.
The impact of being a young carer falls into three categories:
1. Physical Health
2. Socio-emotional Wellbeing
This US Study reveals many positive effects of being a teen carer [http://jbd.sagepub.com/content/27/4/338.short], but also a higher rate of depression in adulthood, while Problems and worries of Young Carers [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1365-2206.2003.00292.x/abstract] focuses on potential threats to their mental health. This Irish Study of children whose parents suffer from schizophrenia suggests that, although they appear similar to other children in many ways, "The majority of children who have one parent with schizophrenia had similar profiles to the children of well parents in the areas of physical health, positive family feelings, friendships, hobbies and household tasks. In a number of other areas, however, differences were found. Sample children had more psychiatric disturbance, more problems associated with school, less contact with relatives and spent more time at home. The children had little access to services and were upset by hospital visiting." For young people's own voices, read Good days and Bad Days [http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/prj/28/1/25/], a study of children of parents with mental illness.
This article discusses setting up Survivalkid.nl [http://ccp.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/10/26/1359104510366281.abstract] as an online support network for young carers. Another interesting perspective is explored in Constructing 'Normal' Childhoods [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2010.505734] which argues against the way most research into young carers takes an attitude in which their lives are seen as "abnormal".
3. Future prospects
Political and Legal issues
Australia passed the Carer Recognition Act [https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2010A00123] in 2010, but this does not recognise Young Carers. However, Carers Australia [http://www.youngcarers.net.au/young-adults/how-does-the-government-help/] has information about respite and financial assistance for Young Carers.
Kayla, given the information available, you may want to focus exclusively on socio-emotioinal well being???