Executive summary

Taking on a caring role can provide many positive benefits for young people but, for some young carers, the responsibilities undertaken go beyond what adults would normally expect of teenagers. In this report we use data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to examine the early home environment of those who subsequently became young carers, to what extent caring activities limit young people’s cognitive and psycho-social outcomes, and what explains the gaps between the developmental outcomes of young carers compared to their peers.