Hundreds of children as young as six years old are spending more than 50 hours a week caring for family members in north Norfolk.
The Holt Youth Project currently supports more than 100 young carers across the region, but the charity says it is only the “tip of the iceberg” with hundreds more young people in need of help.
Julie Alford, the charity's founder, said: “There are so many young carers out there who haven’t been identified yet.
“Unfortunately, they’re sometimes only identified when they reach crisis point.”
It comes after the first-ever parliamentary inquiry on young carers found 15,000 children in the UK, including 3,000 aged between just five and nine years old, spend 50 hours or more a week looking after ill or disabled family members.
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It is estimated that there are one million young carers in the UK, with many falling behind at school and having fewer life opportunities because of their care responsibilities.
“It’s heartbreaking what we’re seeing,” Mrs Alford said.
“Children are losing their childhoods. They’re struggling with their caring roles not just physically but emotionally.
“So many of them don’t even realise they’re young carers because it’s just part of their everyday lives.
“They’re silent unsung heroes.
"They’re resilient because they’ve had to be, and they’ve had to grow up so quickly.
“It’s hard for their parents as well because they know their children are not getting the same opportunities as others because of their care responsibilities.”
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The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) inquiry heard from more than 400 young and young adult carers across the country.
It found some children are being left to cope for a decade before being offered help – with the average wait for support being three years.
The inquiry was chaired by North Norfolk MP Duncan Baker, who is calling for more government funding for carers.
“It’s going on right under our noses in north Norfolk and we have to make sure we have the right funding to support them,” Mr Baker said.
“We need to hold carers in the same high regard and esteem as we do our nurses.”
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