Move On Up
Move On Up (2017-2023) provided shared housing alongside empathetic, specialist support to young people aged 18-25 who provided unpaid care to a family member.
In partnership with:
Why was Move On Up needed?
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Young adult carers face a high risk of homelessness, which often goes under the radar. For many, caring for a parent from an early age can take a toll on their mental health and lead to breakdowns in family relationships, while young adult carers often lack the financial means or social networks to move out of their family homes.
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The Housing Solution
Delivered by Quaker Social Action (QSA) in partnership with Commonweal Housing, Move On Up provided shared housing and up to 24 months' tailored support to young adult carers aged 18-25.
The first-of-its-kind project equipped young adult carers with a space away from the family home. Dedicated QSA support workers provided empathetic, specialist support to help young people reach their goals and make informed decisions about their futures.
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Choice is at the heart of Move On Up's model. Whilst many Commonweal projects see a positive outcome as a linear move on from current residence, Move On Up recognised that there are cases where a young person may want to return to the family home. What is important is that they have the choice to do so.​
Project outcomes
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Move On Up supported 32 young adult carers across four properties and received 141 referrals, indicating a high demand for the unique service.​​
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Around two-thirds of tenants reported a more positive situation during their time with the project.
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Young people experienced improved mental health, familial relationships, and an increased ability to excel in or access employment.
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"I’ve learned that I don’t have to feel down and stressed every time my mum feels down and stressed. With my own space, I can recover enough to still be a help to her when she needs me."
Move on Up resident
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Key Learnings:​
The final evaluation of Move On Up, conducted by the Learning and Work Institute in 2020, found that the project filled a crucial gap in support provision for young adult carers and had a range of positive impacts on residents. These included providing respite from caring, improved relationships with family members and improved outcomes in learning and employment.
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After the project's scheduled end in 2023, Commonweal commissioned Nicola Aylward at the Learning and Work Institute to conduct a report investigating the housing options for young adult carers and the policy barriers that they face. The report ‘We Still Care’ highlights Move On Up’s achievements and recommendations for what the government, local authorities, housing providers, and the third sector should do to ensure the housing needs of young adult carers are urgently recognised and addressed.
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Findings:
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Awareness of the housing support needs of young adult carers is currently low across policy and practice.
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The risk of homelessness among young adult carers is often high and hidden.
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Young adult carers are three times as likely to be NEET (not in education, employment or training) compared to other young people.
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Care responsibilities can stifle independence, often at the cost of a young adult carers’ mental and physical wellbeing.
Policy recommendations: ​
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Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) should issue guidance to local authorities setting out a requirement to assess young adult carers’ housing needs when conducting transition assessments.
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​Local authorities must ensure that transition assessments are routinely carried out and housing options should be included within all assessments.​
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DHSC should update the Carers Strategy and Action Plan to include specific references to housing for young adult carers.
Links:
Case Study
One young carer taking part in the project said: “I started caring for my mother when I was three years old, but I didn’t realise I was a carer until I was around twelve years old when the social worker to my mother put me in touch with the young carers project.
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"The impact of being a carer on my personal life whilst I was younger was high; I lost a lot of school friends and it also had an impact on my school. This was because mum was always sick or unable to do things herself. Due to this I had to look after her at home and do the things that she could not do. This ranged from cooking and cleaning to keeping on top of her personal hygiene and dressing her. As I got older this got harder and happened a lot more often.
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"Because of my caring role my school grades suffered – I know they could have been a lot better than they were. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the person you care for that the reason your grades are bad is because of them, so we have to lie to them so they do not feel so bad. When I was kicked out of university because of bad grades, I had to lie to mum. I failed due to looking after mum and the family on a full-time basis.
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"When I was in school I had no help from the staff at all. They had the attitude that I should leave the caring for somebody else; they also said that it was not their problem as I was old enough to stand on my own two feet and say I don’t want to care for my family. If I had had even a little support from school or the university I would have been happy, but I didn’t.
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"The first time I really received any help was when I joined the young carers and the young adult carers project. I received help and support from the staff and also the other carers. Because of this I became very close with some of the other carers and we became the best of friends; we are always there to help each other in any way we can.”
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