Liberal Democrats pass motion championing young carers
To mark Young Carers Action Day on 12th March 2025, Bristol’s Liberal Democrat councillors successfully passed a motion championing young carers and calling for the council to sign up to the Young Carers Covenant.
Mover of the motion, Cllr Andrew Brown (Liberal Democrat, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park), said “We talk a lot in this chamber about the children we are responsible for, and rightly so.
We also talk a lot about our role in the social care of people in the city – and again, rightly so. What we don’t talk about much – either here, or as a society, is the role of those who care for partners, relatives, or friends – often unseen, generally unsupported, and largely un-thanked.
“But unpaid carers are an Invisible Army making daily sacrifices to support those they love. And, amongst these, are young carers: thrust into caring at formative times of their lives – taking on added responsibility at a time when they should be learning, growing, and finding their way in the world.
“So, this is a simple motion for us, as Councillors, and as a Council, to acknowledge all those Children and Young People who find themselves caring for others, and to recognise that they are, first and foremost, children and young people, with all the needs and challenges that others of their age face.
“By signing the Young Carers Covenant, we will be committing to actions to identify and support them, ensure they have access and support to education, employment, and training, that they can feel safe and secure, and that they should not take on inappropriate and excessive caring duties.
“As a Council, we can work with the city’s schools and colleges to ensure that they can play their part. Essentially, these institutions are well placed to assist in identifying our young carers: opening up the opportunity to support them.
“Much of this work already happens, and there is a lot of good stuff going on, but there is always more that can be done.
“We know that the number of known young carers in this city – around 500 – probably only represents around 10% to 15% of the real number. So, there is much more that can be done to identify those that we don’t already know about.
“So, the challenge that this motion presents us is to do what we can to support young carers, as a collective and as individuals, raise the profile of young carers, celebrate them, support them, but - most of all - thank them.”
Seconding the motion, Cllr Sarah Classick (Liberal Democrat, Hengrove and Whitchurch Park) said “This motion is to help an incredibly vulnerable but also very important group of children in our city.
“Great work is already happening, but by signing the Young Carers Covenant, and strengthening awareness in our schools, we can help these young people thrive. Ensuring they are recognised not just for their caring responsibilities, but for their potential.”
The motion received unanimous, cross-party support. The issues raised in the motion will be referred to the council’s Children and Young People Policy Committee in due course.
Notes to editors:
- Press release about the publishing of the motion: Marking Young Carers Action Day 2025 - Bristol Liberal Democrats
- NHS resource on young carers: Being a young carer: your rights - Social care and support guide - NHS
- Carers Trust’s Young Carers Action Day information: Young Carers Action Day
- Carers Trust’s Young Carers Action Day resources: Young Carers Action Day 2025: Resources
- Carers Trust’s Young Carers Covenant: The Young Carers Covenant - Carers Trust
- Papers for 11th March Full Council: ModernGov - bristol.gov.uk