Title: Bounded agency in young carers' lifecourse-stage domains and transitions
Abstract: Abstract This paper presents the findings from a project investigating the circumstances, experiences, perspectives and service needs of young people caring for a family member with a disability or long-term illness. Using qualitative methods, our research explored the experiences of two cohorts of young carers – younger carers aged 7 to 17 years and young adult carers aged 18 to 25 years. The concept of ‘bounded agency’ offers an explanation for the way that younger carers' and young adult carers' decisions and aspirations can be shaped by the barriers and contexts in which they find themselves. The study compares the impacts of caring on the participants' education, employment, health and social life. Important differences are identified, particularly relating to young adult carers' future aspirations as they approach key normative transitions into young adulthood. The paper concludes with implications for services and policy for young carers. Keywords: young careryouth transitionscaringagencystructure Acknowledgements This paper is based on findings from an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP07755940) titled Young Carers: Implications of the care-giving responsibilities of children and young adults. It has received ethics approval from the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 07243). The research team included: Professor Bettina Cass, Professor Deborah Brennan, Cathy Thomson, Dr Trish Hill, Dr Christiane Purcal, Dr Myra Hamilton, Elizabeth Adamson and Samia Michail. Research partners were Carers New South Wales and Carers South Australia, and government agencies in South Australia (SA) and New South Wales (NSW): in SA: the Social Inclusion Unit in the Department of Premier and Cabinet; the Department for Families and Communities; the Department of Education and Children's Services; the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology; and the Children, Youth and Women's Health Service; and in NSW: NSW Health; the Department of Family and Community Services, Ageing, Disability and Home Care; and the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. Thanks also to Associate Professor Karen Fisher for useful feedback on this paper.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 95
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