Young carers face a variety of challenges at school. While schools can be vital places of support, the assistance they receive at school often seems selective and fails to consider the unique life situations of individual students. This paper examines the perspective of multiple actors in the student’s school environment and explores how schools can develop comprehensive, sustainable support systems for young carers—systems that consider and involve as many actors as possible in the student’s school environment. In a secondary analysis of two interview studies, we analyzed how young carers as well as their parents, teachers, and school counsellors perceived the school support the carers received. We then developed an integrated model that incorporates these differing perspectives. The model offers an approach for implementing low-threshold support for young carers within existing school structures in relation to their family situation and outlines conditions that can support both recognized and “invisible” young carers, as well as other students.

Eltern mit psychischen Erkrankungen erleben häufig Prozesse von öffentlicher Stigmatisierung und Selbststigmatisierung, welche zumeist mit negativen Bewertungen ihrer Kompetenzen in der Elternschaft einhergehen. Die Auswirkungen dieser Stigmatisierung sind vielfältig und werden unterschiedlich wahrgenommen. Fachkräfte, die mit betroffenen Eltern und deren Kindern sowie weiteren Familienmitgliedern in Kontakt kommen, müssen sich dieser erlebten Stigmatisierungen und deren Auswirkungen bewusst sein, um gezielte Unterstützung der Familien zu ermöglichen. (DIPF/Orig.)

Background/Objectives: Children and adolescents who care for family members with illness, disability, or mental health conditions face challenges across educational, health, and psychosocial domains. Although research and practice have developed conceptual models and assessment tools to better understand and address young carers’ situations, a persistent gap remains between their needs and available support, reflecting structural fragmentation across health, education, and social care systems. To address this gap, this article presents the development of a family-centred framework spanning these sectors. Methods: The framework was developed through an iterative, empirically grounded process based on two studies within a larger research project on young carers in Switzerland. Key themes, structural challenges, and support-related factors were identified by systematically synthesising the findings of the two studies and integrated into an overarching framework linking young carers’ family contexts with cross-sectoral service structures. Results: The Caring in Context Framework synthesises empirical findings into a coherent framework for understanding and addressing young carers’ situations. By systematically extending the whole family approach to include a cross-sectoral dimension, it bridges relational family dynamics and structural service contexts. Sustainable support is conceptualised as dependent on the structural visibility and institutional recognition of young carers across all system levels, positioning identification and recognition as prerequisites for coordinated responses in research, policy, and practice. Conclusion: The framework advances conceptual clarity by integrating family-centred and cross-sectoral perspectives. Rather than creating new services, it emphasises adapting and coordinating existing structures while ensuring systematic recognition of young carers to support coherent, sustainable, and inclusive strategies.

Um Familien, in denen ein Familienmitglied von einer gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigung betroffen ist, zu unterstützen, bedarf es der Zusammenarbeit unterschiedlicher Fachdisziplinen. Dabei ist es relevant, die Familie und ihr Umfeld als Gesamtes zu betrachten und in den Prozess der Unterstützung zu integrieren. Kooperation in der Arbeit mit betroffenen Familien entsteht eher beiläufig und folgt zumeist keinen festen Strukturen. Der Beitrag beleuchtet ausgewählte Aspekte zur Gestaltung von multiprofessioneller und interdisziplinärer Kooperation im Kontext von Kindern und Jugendlichen in der Rolle als Angehörige von Familienmitgliedern mit gesundheitlicher Beeinträchtigung sowie die mögliche Rolle der Rehabilitationspädagogik. (DIPF/Orig.)