Definition of Terms

Children who have a variety of substitute and emotional caregivers at home, and who have excessive roles and responsibilities.

Explanation of Terms

Carers are informal caregivers who are equivalent to caregivers in conventional terms. In the United Kingdom, which is a leader in supporting caregivers, the Children and Families Act 2014 was enacted to establish an appropriate support system for young caregivers. The Act defines a young carer as "a person under the age of 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (except when the care is provided according to a contract or as a volunteer activity). In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) defines a young carer as "a child who routinely performs household chores and family care that are generally assumed to be the responsibility of adults. The Japan Carers Alliance defines a young carer as "a child under the age of 18 who takes on the responsibility of caring for a family member in need of care, and performs household chores, family care, nursing care, and emotional support, etc., that would be assumed by an adult. The age defined as a young carer differs from country to country, and most of the laws and regulations concerning children in Japan are currently designed for those under 18 years of age. Therefore, the age of caregivers is expected to be discussed in the future when considering legislation and systems related to caregivers.
Young caregivers are created by the family systems and dynamics to which they belong. Those in need of care and nurturing, those with mental health problems, or those withdiseaseand disabilities requiring long-term care.familyexists, and when the adult is unable to fulfill his or her role due to some factor, the family lacks the ability to care within the home, resulting in unmet care needs for the family.
Young caregivers provide substitute care for parents and family members, including household chores such as cooking and cleaning, care for family members such as assisting with transportation and giving medication, money management and payment, interpretation for family members for whom Japanese is not their first language, and emotional support for parents.receptionSome routinely provide emotional care, such as encouragement and support. They spend a lot of time to carry out this variety of care and cannot take time for themselves. They do not have time for themselves. They often go above and beyond what a child is expected to do and take on responsibilities comparable to those of an adult. Young Caregivers are concerned about their parents and other family members in order to maintain their families, and they make an effort to hide the fact that they have family members in need of care.
Young caregivers sometimes have negative feelings such as a desire to escape from their current situation and a fear of becoming involved with others who need care. They also tend to feel guilty about their feelings of escape and have low self-esteem. They have no friends or adults to turn to for advice, and they feel lonely, alienated, and have a vague idea of what the future holds.anxietyHe has mixed feelings. They may be seen by others as good children, and they may have positive feelings, such as a sense of accomplishment, and have mixed emotions.
However, in their efforts to maintain their families, they may be unaware of their situation, despite these complex feelings. Therefore, they are not able to seek support on their own without others pointing out that their situation is different from the norm.
The difficulty in detecting young carers may be due to the influence of the Japanese concept of guaranteeing children's rights and gender. In addition, the closed nature of the family and social stigma also create a situation in which the problem of young carers is inaccessible. Young carers tend to be hidden. Young caregivers' caregiving may be a key factor in the development of their personalities and social skills.developmentand ... andlivingIn addition to the effects on satisfaction and subjective health perceptions, thehealth(at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusionlossThe impact on the growth and development of children, such as the loss of learning and the loss of In addition, there is concern about the impact on the formation of future social and economic foundations in relation to life course choices. On the other hand, it is important to understand not only the severity of the situation of young carers, but also the mutual influence of family members on each other beyond the scope of providing/receiving care.

Citations and References

1) Hamashima, Yoshie (2021): Child Caregivers: Reality of Young Caregivers and Social Barriers, Kadokawa Shinsho, Tokyo.
2) Federation of Young Carers (2022) What is a Young Carer, Retrieved from: https://carersjapan.com/about-carer/young-carer/ (retrieved on December 15, 2023)
3) Kinoshita, Y. (2015): M-GTA Monograph Series 2: Practical Model of Caregiver Support, Harvest-sha, Tokyo.
4) Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, About Young Carers, Retrieved from: https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/young-carer.html (retrieved on December 15, 2023)
5) Mitomi, N. (2000): Home caregivers in the UK, Minerva Shobo, Kyoto.
(6) National Archives: Children and Families Act 2014, Retrieved from: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/contents/England (search date 2023 December 15)
7) Nursing Today booklet editorial department (2021), Nursing Today booklet 11 Supporting Young Carers-Young Carers, Japan Nursing Association Press, Tokyo.
8) Shibuya, Tomoko (2018): Young Carers - The Reality of Young People Who Take Care of Caregivers, Chuko Shinsho, Tokyo.
9) Shibuya, Tomoko (2020): Young Carer My Narrative: Family Care and Nursing Care Experienced by Children and Young People, Seikatsu Shoin, Tokyo.
10) Tokiwa F., Asai H., Tsuji R. et al. (2022): Conceptual analysis of young carers in Japan. Journal of the Japan Nursing Association. vol.42, pp.494-500