Podcast of the Month – Sharing the Mic: Young Carers & Change Makers in Conversation
Our Podcast of the Month spotlight focuses on Sharing the Mic: Young Carers & Change Makers in Conversation. Following its launch earlier this spring, the series has provided a useful example of how academic research can be communicated clearly to the public.
Across the UK, an estimated one million young people have caring responsibilities, which equates to roughly two or three young carers in every classroom. Despite these numbers, many of the challenges they face remain unfamiliar to the wider public, particularly regarding how they balance education and employment with complex caring duties, health, and financial independence.
Sharing the Mic addresses this by bringing young carers into direct conversation with researchers, policy experts, and practitioners. Together, they discuss where current support systems are working, where they are failing, and how society might offer better long-term support.
Connecting Research with the Lived Experience of Young Carers
Created in partnership with the Carers Trust, this series serves as the public-facing element of a research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, titled ‘The long-term effects of being a young carer’. This project is led by Dr Becca Lacey and her team at City St George’s, University of London, and UCL.
The data uncovered by the research team highlights significant inequalities. Young carers are 69% more likely to report a chronic mental illness than their peers, and their educational attainment is lower from primary school onwards. By placing these statistics alongside personal experiences, the podcast avoids passive sentimentality and focuses instead on structural and political accountability.
The value of combining data with personal narrative has been reflected in the listener response. One former young adult carer, now 28, recently contacted the team to share how deeply they resonated with the series:
“When I reflect back on my younger years as a young adult carer, I can clearly see how my caring responsibilities influenced many of my major life decisions. The podcast series made me realise that I am not alone.”
A Collaborative Approach
To ensure the series accurately reflected the realities of young carers, the project was developed through a series of workshops that gave participants an active role in shaping the content.
Rather than being subjects of the research, they presented the episodes, debated the core themes, and guided the discussions. A central aim of the project was to show that whilst these young people are dedicated to their families, they also have their own individual interests – ranging from school and higher education to participating in scouts or air cadets.
The Four-Part Series with Young Carers Taking the Lead:
Ep 1 – Young Carers: Hidden in Plain Sight with Sharan
Dr Becca Lacey introduces the research project, before handing over to young carer Sharan and Holly Swinckels from the Carers Trust. The discussion focuses on the cultural and moral aspects of caring, the difficulties surrounding early identification, and the opportunities communities miss to support hidden carers
Ep 2 – Young Carers: Making Education Fairer with Isla and Oliver
Young carers Oliver and Isla talk with Kit Rooney, a Policy Advisor at the education charity The Difference. This episode reviews the high rates of school absence among young carers, the barriers to achieving standard GCSE benchmarks, and the practical value of having trained young carer leads in secondary schools.
Ep 3 – Young Carers: Money, Work and Independence with Danny
Young adult carer Danny leads a discussion with Andy McGowan from the Carers Trust and Jackie Woodhouse from The Learning and Work Institute. The conversation looks at the financial challenges facing young adults, including how the benefit system’s “21-hour rule” restricts access to higher education, whilst highlighting the transferable skills carers bring to employment.
Ep 4 – Young Carers: Creating a Fairer Future with Eden and Amy
University student Eden and gap-year student Amy speak with Dominic Carter, Director of Policy & Public Affairs at the Carers Trust. The final episode reflects on the daily mental load and forward-planning required of young carers. It concludes with a look at international support trends and how organisations can back the Young Carers Covenant.
Realising Research Impact
For higher education institutions, Sharing the Mic demonstrates how longitudinal and census datasets can be used to inform public debate and support policy lobbying, rather than remaining confined to academic reports.
The series highlights that supporting young carers requires a coordinated response from educators, employers, and policymakers alike.
The full four-part series of Sharing the Mic is available on all major podcast platforms.
Further details on the research, datasets, and direct links to support services can be found via the Carers Trust website and the accompanying show notes.
How we can support you
Research Podcasts offer podcast production and training for researchers and academics looking to develop their public engagement and impact plans. If you would like to discuss an upcoming project, please contact our team to arrange a consultation.
