{"id":8229,"date":"2026-03-30T11:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/intersections\/?p=8229"},"modified":"2026-03-30T11:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:30:08","slug":"supporting-young-carers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/intersections\/2026\/03\/30\/supporting-young-carers\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting Young Carers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earlier this academic year, the Family Care Office and the Innovation Hub launched the\u00a0Supporting Student Parents virtual toolkit<\/a>.\u00a0The toolkit\u00a0contains\u00a0concrete ways\u00a0the University of Toronto\u00a0community can\u00a0support student parents\u2019 participation in their studies by\u00a0addressing the barriers they face. The toolkit is grounded in years of qualitative research conducted by the Innovation Hub with students who are also parents. As we were\u00a0collaborating with the Innovation Hub, we at\u00a0the Family Care Office\u00a0kept thinking about the other group of students we\u00a0support:\u00a0student caregivers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Young caregivers \u2013 often defined as people under 30 years old \u2013 are often carrying an invisible load. As the Young Caregiver Council of Canada<\/a> explains, \u201cyoung caregivers (also known as young carers) are generally understood as young people who support a family member or friend living with chronic illness, disability, mental health challenge, substance use, parental absence, aging needs, and\/or other social or cultural factors (e.g., language).\u201d  In our experiences, we have students here at U of T who accompany their parents to regular medical appointments to bridge a language barrier. We have students who are caring for a parent during cancer treatments. We have students who participate in the care for their siblings, and have done so for years, prior to coming to university. U of T carers are not alone. In Canada, there are a growing number of youth who are taking on substantial unpaid familial caregiving in addition to their individual responsibilities.  In 2012, an estimated 1.25 young caregivers<\/a> were identified, with that number growing annually.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young carers face a \u2018young carer penalty,\u2019 both in education and in their work lives which can negatively limit them. Professionally, young carers may not be able to hold a part-time job or gain work experience through internships. In \u201cThe young carer penalty: Exploring the cost of caregiving among a sample of Canadian youth\u201d, Vivian Stamatopoulos writes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEducation is also negatively affected by youth\u2019s excessive caregiving. Lack of sleep, concentration difficulties, increased lateness, absences, and a lack of available time required for homework and studying are just some of the penalties noted. Participants often cited a daily struggle between satisfying their caregiving and educational demands, which in turn led to their feelings of being overwhelmed and exhausted.\u201di<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people who provide significant care to others may struggle physically, socially, emotionally and financially. Academically, they may have challenges in consistent attendance and amount of time available to spend on assignments and preparing for exams. Young carers are seldom recognized by targeted resources, and caregiving is often not recognized within polices and accommodation processes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These themes overlap with what we heard from student parents, but are also distinct. One young caregiver shares:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a young caregiver meant living two separate lives at once – supporting someone you love, while just trying to fit in and live a normal life as a student. Society\u2019s understanding of young caregivers won\u2019t change overnight, but by normalizing, affirming, and actively supporting us on campus, you can help us feel seen and valued regardless.\u201dii<\/sup>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many young carers don\u2019t always recognize their role as caregiving. Putting a name to these responsibilities can be an important first step toward accessing support and resources.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the Family Care Office, young caregivers are encouraged to connect with us<\/a>, whether it\u2019s through our advising appointments, our study hub or our many workshops and events throughout the year.  Helen Reddy Katz, our Family Care Advisor, Student Focus, often speaks about the importance of early connection.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love when a young caregiver reaches out, whether it\u2019s independently, or through a referral.  Even if we\u2019re just discussing office supports at that moment, it assures that we\u2019re familiar with each other if there are barriers and crises faced moving forward. More often than not, the young caregiver didn\u2019t know that our supports existed, and are relieved that their realities are recognized and that there are other students out their having similar experiences.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we, as administrators and educators, support young caregivers at the University of Toronto? The Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health and the Ontario Caregiver Organization has some suggestions in their info sheet Helping Young Carers Succeed<\/a>. According to this resource, we can begin with the important step of recognition. \u201cOne of the greatest challenges young caregivers face is that their role often goes unrecognized due to their age. Helping students identify their caregiving responsibilities\u2014and how these impact their daily lives, including school\u2014can empower them to seek and accept support.\u201d Beyond recognition, we can then turn to identifying, engaging and supporting.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supports available for Young Caregivers<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support caregivers, we have compiled a list of organizations and resources dedicated to easing the caregiving journey: <\/p>\n\n\n\n