Binz: More support for caring children and young people
They care for relatives and often miss out themselves: young carers. It is not known how many children and young people in Rhineland-Palatinate are among them and look after family members in need of care. However, Rhineland-Palatinate's Family Minister Katharina Binz wants to provide them with more support. "This is a group that hasn't really been looked at yet," said the Green politician in an interview with the German Press Agency in Mainz.
Who do the young carers look after? "They can be sick parents who are supported in their everyday lives. They can be siblings, whose parents are unable to do so for various reasons, or grandparents, of course," said Binz.
These young people are often seen as unreliable and unable to cope at school or in training. They don't do their homework, for example. "They often have to step in and are actually people who take on a lot of responsibility," Binz explained.
Nationwide estimates of around half a million affected children and young people seemed very high to her, said Binz. Scientific research on this group is still in its infancy. However, it is also unclear: "How do you get to them and how can you support and relieve them?" There are already some offers from the federal government, as well as starting points in the state child protection law. Children whose parents suffer from addiction or mental illness were added as a priority in 2020.
The Government, recognizing the importance of supporting young carers, has included children whose parents struggle with addiction or mental illness as a priority for assistance in 2020. Binz, the Family Minister in Rhineland-Palatinate, emphasized that these young individuals, often involved in social affairs due to their caregiving roles, should not be overlooked in government policies related to youth affairs.
Source: www.dpa.com
