Young carers in Finland: Life course transitions, family care chains and support for caring (YCaFin)

The aim of this project is to produce information on young carers in Finland. The project defines young carers as adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 who regularly care for a family member or other close relative. The objectives of the study are:

1. to provide an understanding of how caring is interwoven with life course transitions in the lives of young carers
2. to examine how the caring role of young carers shapes care chains within families, and
3. to analyse the support that young carers receive for caring

The data for this study will be a qualitative, participatory, longitudinal data set collected among young carers. A total of 40 young carers will be recruited for the study. The aim of the longitudinal study is to provide information on how young carers’ experiences of caring change over time and what the consequences of caregiving are for the young people themselves.