# Adult-Centred Systems, Youth-Centred Needs: A Qualitative Study of Canadian Caregiving Service Providers’ Readiness to Support Young Caregivers

## TL;DR

This study explores how Canadian caregiving organizations are prepared to support young caregivers, revealing gaps in policy and funding.

## Contribution

The study provides the first multi-provincial qualitative insight into Canadian caregiving organizations' readiness to support young caregivers.

## Key findings

- Caregiving organizations show interest in expanding support for young caregivers but face funding and recognition challenges.
- Policy invisibility and adult-oriented service models limit preventative approaches for young caregivers.
- Organizations envision cross-sector collaboration and school-based outreach to better support young caregivers.

## Abstract

Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Young caregivers are a large but underrecognized population whose unpaid care sustains families and health systems, yet they remain largely invisible within Canada’s adult-centred caregiving infrastructure.Caregiving organizations play a critical public health role in identifying, supporting, and mitigating risks for young caregivers, but their capacity to do so remains uneven and constrained.

Young caregivers are a large but underrecognized population whose unpaid care sustains families and health systems, yet they remain largely invisible within Canada’s adult-centred caregiving infrastructure.

Caregiving organizations play a critical public health role in identifying, supporting, and mitigating risks for young caregivers, but their capacity to do so remains uneven and constrained.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
This study provides rare multi-provincial insight into caregiving organizations’ readiness to support young caregivers, shifting the focus from individual burden to community and system-level capacity and gaps.Findings demonstrate how policy invisibility, funding instability, and adult-oriented service models limit preventative and early-intervention approaches for young caregivers.

This study provides rare multi-provincial insight into caregiving organizations’ readiness to support young caregivers, shifting the focus from individual burden to community and system-level capacity and gaps.

Findings demonstrate how policy invisibility, funding instability, and adult-oriented service models limit preventative and early-intervention approaches for young caregivers.

Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health?
Public health policy must formally recognize young caregivers and invest in youth-centred, preventative service models integrated across health, education, and community sectors.Practitioners and researchers should prioritize early identification pathways, school-based outreach, and scalable virtual supports to reduce reliance on crisis-driven interventions.

Public health policy must formally recognize young caregivers and invest in youth-centred, preventative service models integrated across health, education, and community sectors.

Practitioners and researchers should prioritize early identification pathways, school-based outreach, and scalable virtual supports to reduce reliance on crisis-driven interventions.

Young caregivers, defined as individuals under 25 years of age who provide unpaid care to a family member(s) with illness, disability, or age-related needs, remain significantly underrecognized in Canada despite their valuable contributions to the healthcare system. Limited awareness, fragmented services, and adult-centred caregiving infrastructures leave them vulnerable to social isolation, disrupted education, and poor mental health. Unlike the United Kingdom and Australia, Canada lacks a coordinated national strategy to identify and support young caregivers. This qualitative study examines caregiving organizations across multiple Canadian provinces, exploring current practices, barriers, and future visions for supporting young caregivers. Group interviews were conducted with 18 service providers from caregiving organizations in Alberta, BC and Nova Scotia. Four themes emerged through analysis: (1) The Landscape of Existing Caregiving Organizations, (2) Barriers and Challenges to Supporting Young Caregivers, (3) Navigating a Pandemic, and (4) a Journey and Vision Worth Supporting. Organizations reported a strong interest in expanding support for young caregivers with a vision for cross-sector collaboration and school-based outreach. However, challenges such as inadequate funding and a lack of formal recognition limits their capacity in building youth programs. Findings from the study highlight the need for systemic reform, including early intervention models, sustainable funding, and formal recognition of young caregivers within policy frameworks. Addressing these gaps will not only uplift young caregivers, but also strengthen Canada’s broader caregiving and healthcare ecosystem.