Abstract

The paper investigates the phenomenon of young caregivers. That is children and teenagers providing care for some of their family members who require support and supervision. In Italy, there is a lack of information and studies on this phenomenon. We conducted a survey research to understand its characteristics in a specific Italian context (three middle schools in Milan) and compared it with the evidence emerging from international literature. The survey reached 424 students and investigated the causes that led to their assumption of care responsibilities, the activities carried out, and the consequences of being young care providers.