Supporting "Young Carer" who cares for families under the age of 18 Saitama Prefecture, plans will be compiled within the fiscal year

Saitama Prefecture is serious about supporting young carers, children under the age of 18, who are in charge of family care. The nation's first support ordinance was enforced, and the first fact-finding survey was conducted on a prefectural basis. While the government has not been able to grasp the actual situation and provide support, the efforts of local governments have taken the lead.

　In Japan, there is no clear definition of "young carer" by the country, and public data on the number of people is scarce. Overseas, support groups are active in the UK, and fact-finding surveys are underway.

　In March, the Saitama Prefectural Assembly unanimously passed the "Carer Support Ordinance," which stipulates support for all people who care for their families free of charge. It defines a caregiver under the age of 18 as a young carer and stipulates that "we must support healthy growth and independence." Behind the ordinance was the situation peculiar to Saitama Prefecture, where the aging of the population is progressing rapidly and the proportion of nuclear family households is high.

　Following the enactment of the ordinance, a fact-finding survey was conducted on all 55,772 second-year high school students in the prefecture from July to September.

　In the survey, 1969 (4.1%) of the 48,261 respondents said they were young carers or had a period of time in the past.

　Regarding the impact of care on life (multiple answers), 19.1% said "I feel lonely because there is no one who can talk about care", 17.4% said "I feel stressed", and 10.2% said. He answered, "I don't have enough time to study," and as the support (same as above), "staff and places where I can consult in case of trouble" (16.0%) were mentioned.

　Based on the results of the fact-finding survey, the prefecture plans to compile a support plan within this year.

Source: https://www.sankei.com/politics/news/201216/plt2012160002-n1.html