CHILDREN as young as five are among thousands of youngsters who cook, clean, and care for infirm relatives in Hampshire, according to the latest figures.

But social services chiefs say this is just the tip of the iceberg, as many adults don’t own up that their offspring act as unpaid carers.

The 2001 Census, the latest available, shows there were 2,532 children and young people under 18 looking after a member of the family who is sick, disabled, or mentally ill.

About one-in-10 (13 per cent) are working for more than 20 hours a week, and 108 are aged between five and seven.

But officials say this is a significant underestimate, as it relies on adults in the household — who fill in the census forms — admitting children are unpaid carers.

Now the county council has drawn up a new three-year strategy to provide vital help to Hampshire’s hidden army of young carers, amid growing concern over their plight.

The aim is to reduce the number of youngsters who have “inappropriate and harmful” caring responsibilities, and offer more support to young carers across the county, such as after school clubs and counselling.

John Coughlan, director of children’s services, said: “There are in the region of 3,000 known young carers in Hampshire, but we are probably talking about the tip of the iceberg with varying levels of responsibility.”

Children’s charity Barnardo’s says with many adult responsibilities, young carers often miss out on the opportunity to play and learn.

They are more likely to struggle educationally, endure social isolation, and be bullied for being different.

The charity says they are often afraid to ask for help as they fear letting their family down or being taken into care.

Speaking at the launch of the new strategy at Winchester Guildhall, Cllr Patricia Banks, who is responsible for children, said the overall aim was to “identify and significantly reduce the numbers of young people undertaking inappropriate and harmful caring roles”.

She said this would be done by “reducing the incidence of families with unmet care needs relying on the care of a child”.

Mr Coughlan said he was proud of the council’s work with the Children’s Society, setting up young carer projects, but there needed to be more consistency of support across the county.

He added: “The new strategy builds upon what existed before. It is not revolutionary — it is evolutionary.”

Hampshire has 10 young carers’ projects, excluding those in Southampton and Portsmouth.

They provide an opportunity for young carers to get together as well as organising activities and trips so they have relief from pressures at home.

The council budget included £100,000 for young carer groups this year.

Jenny Frank, from the Children’s Society, welcomed the new strategy, especially the “whole family approach”.

She said: “Often families don’t get the right support which means they have to rely on children and that is what we want to change.”

Social workers — now divided into children and adult teams — are supposed to work together to assess the needs of the whole family.

Meanwhile, schools and GPs are being asked to help identify young carers so they can get the support they need.

Sharon North, a children’s services manager, said young carers were “children first”, and it was important to ensure they were safe.

In a council report she said: “For those whose parents are involved in substance misuse or suffer mental health issues, this can be a particular issue and the agencies involved have a duty to ensure children are protected.”