MORE than 250 children in the Bradford district act as carers in the Bradford district, a new report has revealed.

Last year Bradford Council was told that 257 children were supported by the area’s young carer service - a figure described as “alarming” by children’s charity Barnado’s which complied the report.

It said many young people might not offically class themselves as carers and described the figure as “the tip of the iceberg.”

A year-on and 256 children are looking after relatives for family members with conditions ranging from mental health issues to drug abuse.

A report into young carers, written by the council’s Edge of Care team, will go before Bradford Council’s Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee tomorrow, when they will discuss the authority’s ongoing Young Carers action plan.

As well as informing councillors about the numbers of young carers, the report also outlines what the service is doing to help reduce the impact of being a carer on their lives.

Councillor Dale Smith, chairman of the committee, said: “Progress has been made on meeting the needs of young carers but we need to make sure that the service continues to offer support.”

The majority of young carers, 75 per cent, care for their mother, up from last year when mothers accounted for 60 per cent of cared for relatives.

Ten per cent of the 256 children care for their brother and nine per cent for their sister.

Thirty one per cent of young carers looked after a family member with a mental health issue, making it the biggest single reason for care.

Twenty six per cent looked after a relative with a physical disability, while eight per cent cared for a relative with substance abuse problems.

The proportion of referrals made by school nurses has risen from 18 per cent to 21 per cent in this period, while the amount referred from adult social services is just two per cent.

The report says this is “significant” as the council has stressed the importance of adult care workers identifying when a person is being cared for by a young person.

In the last census 1,300 young people identified themselves as carers, and so the number referred to the service is likely to be just a snapshot of the overall number situation in the district.

The committee will be told that carers are helped through one-on-one sessions with the service, organised social activities like trips, and specialist help.

The meeting is in City Hall at 4.30pm.