A new research project on young carers is calling for participants.

The project is called Young Carers: Social Policy Impacts of the Caring Responsibilities of Children and Young Adults.

It is being undertaken by Professor Bettina Cass, Professor Deborah Brennan and Cathy Thompson, from the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at the University of NSW, in partnership with government and carer organisations.

The SPRC, in partnership with 10 government and non-government agencies and organisations, is conducting a study about children and young people who are caring for a person with disability or chronic illness.

The researchers are interested in finding out more about the lives of young carers and the people they care for. To do this, they are hoping to talk to both young carers (aged 12-25 years) and people receiving care (18 years and over) to participate in the study.

Young carers (12-17 years), young adult carers (18-25 years) and people receiving care who express interest, will be asked to participate in a short pre-interview questionnaire of about 15-20 minutes, followed by an individual interview of about an hour’s duration either face-to-face or by phone.

The researchers plan to conduct the face to face interviews between now and November 2009 in NSW.

They are interested in finding out more about the lives of young carers and the people they care for, especially:

• how young carers combine caring and school or work,
• what caring means for friendships and social activities,
• how caring helps the family, and
• which kinds of support the young carer and the person they care for receive or would like to have.

The first aim of the study is to hear from young people who provide care and from the people who receive care about their circumstances, experiences and service needs. The second aim is to assist governments and community organisations in developing services to support young carers and their families.

The study will take three years to complete. In that time, the researchers will:

• interview young carers and people being cared for;
• talk to Australian government departments and organisations that support young carers;
• explore studies on young carers and their families carried out by other researchers, both in Australia and overseas, to see what programs and services are helpful;
• find out what services and programs for young carers and their families are in place in Australia, and what other services are needed.

All participants, young carers, young adult carers and people receiving care, will be offered a $30 Coles/Myer voucher in recognition of their contribution to the project.

If you would you like more information about this study or would like to participate in it, please contact Samia Michail on (02) 9385 7800 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The study is funded by the Australian Research Council and a number of government departments and carers associations in NSW and South Australia, where interviews with young carers have already been held.