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South Asian young adult carers in England

South Asian young people aged 16 to 25 years are often caring for one or more ill or disabled family members, that is, caring on an unpaid basis. We are carrying out research with South Asian young adult carers living in England (see below). Our research shows that they work hard to fit the caring role into their lives along with studying, caring for the rest of the family and looking after the home, such as housework, paying bills and managing the family’s finances. 

Thinking ahead: planning for the future

Each young person, whatever their background, has their own vision for what their future may bring. They might identify a role model in their family, someone whose accomplishments they have read about, or want to emulate a well-known figure they have heard about on social media. Alternatively, they may get really interested in a subject at school or have a hobby that they want to turn into a career. Other goals may include travelling, setting up a small business or starting a relationship. Whatever their personal interests, having aspirations gives them a direction for their future lives. 

Transition assessments and goal-setting

Young adult carers often need support to plan ahead for their futures. 

If you are a young adult carer, you can register with a young adult carers service.

These services are usually provided by carers centres or youth organisations. Once you register with the young adult carers service, you can request a transition assessment that will help you to look at your current caring role, but also think about what you want from your life in the future. As part of the assessment, you can set goals that you can work towards to achieve your aspirations. You can get information and advice on what you might need to do to achieve your goals, for example, when applying for a job or to university. The staff in the young adult carers may signpost you to other organisations who can provide additional support. Of course, your goals will probably change over time and some goals may be more realistic than others. 

Even if you had an assessment as a young carer, you can still complete the transition assessment as a young adult, as you will now be in a better position to identify your goals for the coming years. 

Our participants’ aspirations 

We asked the South Asian young adult carers who took part in our research about their aspirations. They all wanted to study at university or obtain an apprenticeship or, alternatively, they were already undertaking university courses. Most of them wanted to have careers in the future, for example in IT or healthcare. Some of them said they would like to own their own homes in the future and/or have a family. 

If you are a young adult carer, are your hopes for the future similar to those of our participants?

Chan’s aspirations

Chan is a South Asian young adult carer who is helping us with our research. Here she tells her own story of caring for her sister and how this inspired her to study at university and work to ensure there is better support available for other young adult carers: 

‘As a young adult carer I initially struggled to see a life beyond my caring responsibilities. I love my sister but I often had to prioritise caring for her over other aspects of my life, especially my education. When I studied at university I felt like the ugly duckling struggling to manage my education alongside caring. I want to become a senior researcher but wondered if I could ever manage caring alongside the demands of employment. I love research because it gives me the flexibility I need to be able to support my sibling. Employers should be aware that carers like us need understanding, flexibility and extra support. I want to make a difference with the research I am doing, but I will always be inspired by my sibling and want to care for her.’  

How Chan is achieving her goals 

‘When I was in college I was inspired to learn about autism, my sister’s condition. I was determined to improve the support for young people like her and for other carers like myself. 

As a student, my goals have been to study hard and help others. I decided to learn about human behaviour and connections by studying psychology. I also wanted to learn more about my sister’s condition. During my second year at university, I visited a centre in Sri Lanka that supported autistic children and learned about physical and sensory therapies.

I struggled to manage my caring role during my third year of university, as my parents were unwell. My sister’s autism meant she followed a strict daily routine but this clashed with my studies and made it difficult for me to attend university lectures. As I had little time to look after myself my wellbeing was also affected.  

I started to think about how young carers and young adult carers can be better supported in school, college or university. Even when I became the main carer for my sister, I received no social care support. When I started working in a school for children with special educational needs, I realised that it’s very difficult for young carers to understand how the NHS and the social care system work. Also, it seems that the staff are not always aware of what young carers do or the important care we give to our family members.

When I joined a national support group called Sibs I felt liberated from the isolation of being a carer: YoungSibs - Sibs. I also connected with other South Asian carers where we could discuss cultural issues without any fear of judgement. The support I received gave me a shoulder to lean on when I needed it. 

I am now finishing research as a postgraduate student. My research is about improving community support for young adult carers because this type of support was not available in my local area. I want to show that the caring we do makes a difference.

I hope the SATTA research (the research led by Geraldine) will show that young adult carers like you and me need encouragement and support from staff in the NHS, social care and workplaces. Despite any challenges we face carers like us are beacons of light in this world.’

Where young adult carers can find education and employment support

•    Talk to staff at your local young adult carers service or carers centre. Check out the website of the Carers Trust to find out where the nearest young adult carers service is located: Young Carers - Help & Support | Carers Trust. Check if they have any workshops or training sessions to help you apply to university, write your CV, improve your employability skills or get an internship or work-based placement. 

•    Some colleges and universities provide education bursaries for students who are carers. 
Check out the websites of your local colleges or universities. 

•    The Open University provides scholarships for carers, including young adult carers, to obtain university qualifications: Carers' Scholarships Fund | Funding | The Open University

•    Find out if there are youth or employability organisations in your area or services at your local Council that you can access for specialist advice. 

•    Youth Employment UK provides free online training for young people to prepare for employment and also offers virtual work experience: Careers Advice for Young Adults | Youth Employment UK

•    The Carers Trust works with employers and young adult carers to help you achieve your work goals: Young Carers Futures Programme: Young Adult Carers - Carers Trust

•    MYTIME can provide employability support to enable you to achieve your potential: 
MYTIME | Employability Programme

Acknowledgements: Thank you to the young adult carers who are taking part in our research and to the organisations who are supporting the study. 

Punjabi audio version

Transcript 211.6 KB

South Asian Young Adult Carers' Transitions to Adulthood (SATTA)

Our research is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Award ID: NIHR205625.  The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. 

Study authors
Boyle, G., Wallace, L., Islam, Z. and Sarwer, A. (In progress) ‘Mera future ko kya? (What about my future): A qualitative, multi-methods study and linked feasibility study of South Asian young adult carers’ transitions to adulthood’, The Open University. Available at: https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/projects/sattastudy