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<p>An estimate of the number of carers under the age of 18 in England and Wales is
collected by the Office of National Statistics through census data. Information on
the number of carers under 18 in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.</p><p>According
to the 2011 census, there are almost 166,000 young carers aged 5 to 17 in England
and Wales, although estimates from other studies using different methodologies or
question wording to identify carers are much higher.</p><p>In January 2017, the Department
for Education published the omnibus survey report ‘The lives of young carers in England’:
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-lives-of-young-carers-in-england"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-lives-of-young-carers-in-england</a>.
This was a significant piece of research carried out by the Department in partnership
with Loughborough University looking to improve understanding of the numbers and needs
of young carers and their families.</p><p>The Department of Education and the Department
of Health, Social Care have commissioned the Carers Trust to undertake a review of
best practice in identifying young carers. This work is currently ongoing but by its
conclusion should give us new insights into how schools, health and other providers
can best achieve this in practice.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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