An exploration of young carers’ experiences of school and their perceptions regarding their future career - a scoping review protocol

Background: Young carers are young people who care for a relative or a friend with an illness, disability, frailty, a mental health issue or addiction. Across the world, it is challenging to calculate the exact numbers due to the invisible nature of their role that can exist due to stigmatisation and fear of authoritative intrusion. As young carers reach 16 years and over, future career prospects become more significant. Young carers are more likely than their peers not to be in education, employment, or training and are more likely to do poorly at school or college than their non-caregiving peers due to the demands of caring. Recognising that positive engagement at school is a vital correlate of positive employment outcomes, young carers are at risk as their caring role can limit the range of employment opportunities open to them. This paper outlines the protocol for a robust synthesis of the literature surrounding young carers and their career perceptions. The scoping review will address the research question ‘What is known from the literature about young carers in school and their career perceptions?’ The overall aim of this paper is to present a protocol for the scoping review to map the key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research related to young carers in school and their future careers. Methods: The review will follow Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and Levac et al.’s, (2010) scoping review framework. The steps involved include: (1) research question identification; (2) relevant studies identification; (3) selection of studies; (4) data charting; (5) collating, summarising and reporting the results; and (6) stakeholders' consultation. Conclusions: The scoping review is an appropriate first step to employ in presenting the literature to inform a larger research study on young carers’ experiences in school and their perceptions regarding their future careers.


Introduction
Recognition of young carers The Children's Society (2020) in the UK describe a young carer as being "a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (of any age, except where that care is provided for payment, pursuant to a contract or as voluntary work)". A young carer might look after someone because they're sick or have a disability or mental health issues. If their parent or family member has an alcohol or drug addiction, they may be unable to care for themselves or another person" (The Children's Society, 2020). Young Carers can be involved in caring that not only involves physical care, but can include psychosocial and emotional care also. Family Carers Ireland (2020) recognise a young adult carer as being in the age profile of 18-24 years and a young carer as being under the age of 18. The age of young carers in these two groups is the only difference in their overall definition. The focus of this research is primarily on the experiences of young people who are in a caring role and who attend upper level secondary education. In Ireland, the typical age range of students at this education level is between 16 and 19 years. It is therefore acknowledged those over 18 years of age in secondary school who are also in a caring role, are young adult carers and will be recognised as such throughout this research.
Recent estimates suggest there are around 7,678 young carers aged between 15 and 17 years in Ireland (Care Alliance Ireland, 2019). It is challenging to calculate the exact numbers due to the invisible nature of their role that can exist due to stigmatisation (Fives et al., 2010) and fear of authoritative intrusion (Rutherford et al., 2013). A lack of self-identification can also result in the invisible nature of their role. Young adolescents who may see providing family care as 'normal', are unaware of the young carer title and do not see themselves as the one 'in need' (Nap et al., 2020).
In 2008, the Irish Government Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs initiated a review of young carers. A research study entitled 'Study of Young Carers in the Irish Population' was conducted by Fives et al. (2010), who interviewed 26 young carers from around Ireland and 30 health professionals including managers, policy staff and front-line personnel who work with young carers. The study found that there was little awareness of young carers who can 'hide' out of fear, and that the impact of caring can be negative when formal and informal supports are weak. The study by Fives et al. (2010) was the first national qualitative study of young carers, and since then, there has been no further government-directed research undertaken. With increasing recognition and lobbying on the importance of family carers, the National Carers' Strategy (2012) was developed and recommended to "support children and young people with caring responsibilities and protect them from adverse impacts of caring" (Department of Health, 2012, pg.14).
Improvements have been made with the formation of the 'Young Carers Programme', set up in 2012 as part of the larger organisation 'Family Carers Ireland', to support carers aged 18 and under. However, there remains no national policy or strategy specifically for young carers in Ireland. Comparing with other countries, a recent European-wide Delphi study was undertaken by Nap et al. (2020), looking specifically at strategies to support adolescent young carers. A key recommendation of that study included the need for an integrated system involving education, social and health services being adopted by all countries. A significant theme that emerged included the need for schools' input into identifying and supporting young carers, with some experts claiming it should be the primary responsibility of the school system to identify adolescent young carers. Limitations of school staff, funding and time within schools are challenges; however, emphasis on schools as gatekeepers and as identifiers of young carers is a significant study finding (Nap et al., 2020) and one which necessitates further exploration.  (Wong, 2016). The type of care delivered and the nature of the family members' illness who the young carer supports, are proven to be significant indicators of the level of school engagement. Hamilton & Redmond's (2020) survey with 465 young carers across primary and secondary schools in Australia highlighted that school engagement among young carers of a person with a mental illness or substance addiction is considerably lower than engagement of young carers caring for a person with a disability. This can be due to the unpredictable nature of addictive behaviours having an impact on the young carers' routine and availability (Hamilton & Redmond, 2020).
Across the continents, commonalities exist regarding the impact of caring on young people whilst they complete their studies. Canadian research by Stamatopoulos (2018) revealed that young carers were struggling to meet caregiving tasks alongside their educational demands. While in Australia, a case study with young carers in universities found that despite young carers pursuing their desired career choice, several reported deviating from their study and employment intentions as a result of their family caring commitments (Day, 2019). More recent research with young adult carers in the UK by Kettell (2020) revealed that when compared with other students, young adult carers were four times more likely to give up on their education course,

Amendments from Version 2
Minor additions added. Typos corrected under the Inclusion Criteria in Table 2.
Any further responses from the reviewers can be found at the end of the article REVISED especially in the absence of policies and supports, where the young adult carers found it all the more challenging to complete their programs of study. Overall, these findings suggest there is a mismatch between young carers' desire for education and career choice with the realities and challenges of being in a simultaneous caregiving role.
Young carers and their future careers A survey on career guidance in schools with students and guidance counsellors revealed school counsellors and parents are key influencers when deciding on career choices (Indecon, 2019). Interestingly, the impact of those influencers varies by socioeconomic group. Those from the lowest income groups are less likely to have discussed the choices with their parents compared with those from higher income groups and may therefore be in the greatest need of access to guidance counsellors. These findings can also be interrelated to the young carer experience where they commonly originate from a poorer socio-economic background (Hill et al., 2011) and where child poverty is higher amongst young carers than other children (Vizard et al., 2019). Young carers themselves may not wish to discuss their own future needs out of fear or guilt of having to leave the family home and the person they care for. In comparison with young carers' noncaregiving peers, a school survey conducted by Code & Bernes (2006) in Canada revealed that non-young carers have a number of career concerns. These include distinct transition and career adjustment challenges related to education concerns, security, satisfaction, failing, commitment, wrong job choice, and 'having to decide'. Those concerns can become more heightened for adolescent young carers where an added vulnerability and challenge exists in their situation of having the added responsibility of being a carer. Research conducted in the UK verifies the above findings where they assert that young carers are more likely than their peers not to be in education, employment, or training (NEET) and are more likely to do poorly at school or college than their non-caregiving peers due to the demands of caring (The Children's Society, 2013). It is within the school environment where young carers are amongst non-caregiving peers, and where their struggle can become more apparent. Research conducted by Choudhury & Williams (2020) confirms the importance of the relationship between young carers, school educators, and highlights the significance of schools interacting with their families in strengthening young carers' inclusion in an educational setting.  (2015) outlines a number of key child protection measures that are also relevant to schoolteachers, including a statutory obligation to keep young people safe from harm. Whilst it has been recognised that young carers themselves may not self-identify as carers or choose to hide their caring circumstances as a result of authoritative intrusion (Nap et al., 2020) or feelings of shame (Hamilton & Redmond, 2020), there is a level of accountability on educators to be alert to the signs of a student struggling, which could be due to the student being in a caring role. Taking young carers' mental and physical safety into account, educators need to provide appropriate supports as much as the young carer and family are willing and able to avail of. In comparison to policies in other nations, Leu & Becker (2017) classified countries according to their level of awareness on the issue of young carers and their policy response. Ireland was classified as Level 5 Emerging -Growing Public or Specialist Awareness. It is therefore timely to continue to develop that awareness and knowledge, particularly at this time in Ireland where the impact of worldwide socioeconomic, health and demographic changes are also seen to be having an impact on young people's education and development.

Rationale for research on young carers in school
The literature outlined provides a preliminary view as to what challenges young carers face during school and how it can impact future outcomes. However, the preliminary research uncovered is diverse in its objectives and theoretical underpinnings. There is an absence of understanding when deciphering young carer perceptions of their future careers. By examining young carers' experiences of caring and perceptions of their future careers, efforts can be made to anticipate young carers' needs and to bridge their perceived understanding with the likely reality of balancing caring with future educational/employment demands. A scoping review protocol will outline the approach that will be adopted to determine the range of literature available that link those specific concepts.

Protocol
The aim of the scoping review will be to provide a collation of published and unpublished research literature on young carers in school, their experiences, and their perceptions regarding their future careers. Colquhoun et al. (2014) definition of a scoping review encapsulates the nature of the process that will be adhered to: "A scoping review is a form of knowledge synthesis that addresses an exploratory research question aimed at mapping key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research related to a defined area or field by systematically searching, selecting, and synthesizing existing knowledge" (pg.1292-94).
For clarification and justification purposes, any variation from the protocol will be made clear and explained in the complete

What is known from the literature about young carers in school and their perceptions regarding their future career?
The "PCC" mnemonic is used as a guide to frame the scoping review question. The PCC mnemonic stands for 'Population, Concept, and Context' (Joanna Briggs Institute, 2019). In this instance, young carers can be referred to as the population, the concept is related to their future careers and the context involves their experiences of family caring whilst attending school.

Study aim and objectives
The overall aim of the scoping review is to explore the literature on young carers' experiences of caring while attending second level education and their perceptions regarding their future career.
This will be achieved by addressing four objectives: 1. Map out the research literature, which will help to identify any gaps.

Identification of relevant studies
The systematic review will be guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework guidelines (Tricco et al., 2018). These guidelines will help the researcher and readers develop a greater understanding of the related key concepts and essential items to report on in the scoping review and will increase transparency and uptake of research findings (Tricco et al., 2018). Five key electronic databases will be used to search and identify studies on young carers in the published literature.
These databases include: • PsycINFO • Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (EBSCO), • Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) • ERIC International Education Literature • Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) Relevant grey literature including family carers and young carers website information, Google Scholar and the 'OpenGray' literature database will be searched also. A template from the University of Toronto (2019) will be used as a guide in keeping a record of the grey literature uncovered. In relation to the exact terms to use in the search, the major conceptsyoung carer, second level school and future career will be incorporated. Synonyms from each of those concepts are included in order to capture all other literature containing related terms which other authors may have used in their literature. Boolean operators 'AND/OR' will be used to construct the search strategy and use of 'Truncation*' will also reveal related terms. Searches will combine terms as outlined in Table 1.
Each term will be searched for in titles and abstracts and under available subject headings e.g. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, the Journal of Career Development and the International Journal of Inclusive Education will be hand searched for key words and related information on young carers and their careers, ensuring the maximum available approaches to retrieve the literature is achieved. The topics and abstracts from known young carer conference proceedings will also be hand searched to yield notable content pertaining to this research agenda. The search results from the search databases and handsearching method will be imported into Endnote, a bibliographic manager. Any duplicates of literature will be removed to ensure each study retrieved is not repeated, providing a more accurate final number count. Table 2 outlines the criteria and rationale for the inclusion and exclusion of related literature being sought for this review on young carers' experiences and their future career perceptions.

Types of studies to select
Original research including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, protocols, and the aforementioned grey literature material will be sourced to provide a comprehensive landscape of the available evidence (Paez, 2017).
It is recognised there are 16-18 year old's who provide care and who are in college or vocational training rather than school. Our study is focusing on secondary school students as indicated in our inclusion criteria however it will be acknowledged in the complete research study there is that cohort who exist outside of school and will recommend future research efforts to acknowledge their existence also.

Data collection
The planned review will have two reviewers who will meet before the review to pre-plan as a vital requirement (Lockwood et al., 2019). The first author will be the primary reviewer of the articles, and a second reviewer will independently screen a proportion of the articles (e.g.10-20%), to ensure rigour and consistency. Relevant results will be imported into Endnote X8, a bibliographic manager, and any duplicates will be removed. Full text of relevant studies will be obtained and examined for eligibility with consideration to the inclusion, exclusion criteria and the research question (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005). A second search using all identified keywords and index terms will be undertaken across all included databases. The final decision on articles to include will be made amongst reviewers with any conflicts settled by a third reviewer -"the tie breaker". Numbers of studies identified, screened, assessed for eligibility, and included in the review, with reasons for exclusions at each stage, will be represented in a "Search Flowchart" as described by Moher et al. (2009). The primary reviewer will then be independently involved in extracting significant data, also known as charting the results. The second reviewer will chart 5-10 articles ensuring consistency of the process. A data charting form similar to the Joanna Briggs Institute (2019) guidance will be designed and adhered to by reviewers. Main headings on this charting form include study details, study design, characteristics and key findings that relate to the review question. These headings will be entered into a Microsoft Excel database, with those headed columns then populated as the relevant content is retrieved from the studies identified. A pre-trial on a sample of papers will be conducted by reviewers in adherence to a uniformed approach, as advocated by Arksey & O'Malley's (2005) framework and as an opportunity to iron out any ambiguity. The charting will be an iterative process in which researchers will critique, agree, and update the charting form throughout as relevant (Levac et al., 2010). Notes will be kept by the researcher as to the rationale for any updates to the form to ensure complete transparency in the reporting of the process undertaken and the results obtained.

Synthesis, summary and results report
This review stage will follow the guidance set out by Levac et al. (2010), who advised a review must involve a descriptive numerical summary and a thematic analysis. In addition, they recommended three distinct steps to increase consistency, which this research will adhere to: • Reporting results • Analysing the data • Applying meaning to the results.
Following Arksey & O'Malley's (2005) method, the results will be presented by descriptive numerical analysis through the use of displaying tables and charts, featuring spread of studies by year, origin, area of focus (clinical, policy, educational, health impact etc.), research methods and key findings. This will include a narrative thematic analysis summary explaining in what way the results relate to the scoping review question and objectives, which sought information on the scope of literature on young carers in second level education and their future careers. Data analysis will occur through descriptive thematic analysis, discussion, and critique with the researchers along with cross referencing with the 'charting form' content as described in stage four of this protocol. As advised by Nyanchoka et al. (2019), an evidence gap map to improve research planning and strategic research prioritization will also be provided. Given the aim of this scoping study is on comprehensive coverage, rather than the quality of the evidence, the researcher deduces this stage will deliver on its intended goal to map the literature and identify

Consultation with relevant stakeholders
Initial findings from the scoping review will be presented to a number of key stakeholders. These include young carers themselves and a number of other personnel including social workers, pastoral care, and school guidance counsellors, who are in a position of support and advocacy for young people and who may have encountered individuals who are in a caring role. This component will be to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to give first-hand feedback beyond that found in the literature, and to allow the researcher subjective engagement with participants reinforcing integrities and motivating factors for the larger research study. Young carers will be accessed by way of carer consultation groups -Family Carers Ireland, Youth Service Ireland, Pastoral Care Youth and Foroige Youth group. A community based social worker group, pastoral care group and a number of school guidance counsellors in the locality will be approached by the primary author. Contact will be made by the primary author phoning the designated manager of these groups with an introduction and explanation of the research topic. Permission will be sought for an informal meeting to share the complete scoping review findings and to gain feedback from those group participants. After the initial phone contact, a follow up email will also be sent to each of the managers outlining the request in detail and to confirm their availability to attend a meeting at their workplace, where further explanation and results of the scoping review will be shared.

Dissemination
Findings will be disseminated through the primary author contacting the aforementioned carer group managers, completion of a peer reviewed publication, within the researchers' university research affiliations, and through the international young carer Table 2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for scoping review.

Inclusion Rationale
Sources of evidence confined to the English language.
Searches will be limited to English language due to the costs and time involved in translation and interpretation.
Sources of evidence published between 2000 and 2020.
The search period will be confined to 2000-2020. Peer reviewed young carer research literature began to emerge from the year 2000.
Sources of evidence relating to young carers (under 18 years of age) attending upper second level education and young adult carers (18-24 years) currently attending or who have previously attended upper second level education.
The complete research study is focusing on people in upper second level education who care for a family member with a debilitating illness, disability, a mental health issue or an addiction.

Exclusion Rationale
Sources of evidence relating to younger carers who have not completed the junior certificate cycle and primary school pupils.
The focus of the complete study is on young carers and young adult carers in secondary school who are approaching adulthood where future career prospects become more pronounced.
Carers who are attending upper level secondary school as a second attempt The focus of research is on young carers who are in second level schooling for the first time.

Non-English language Sources of evidence
English language is the primary language spoken and read by the study reviewers. All non-English language papers will be acknowledged, and their existence documented with 'language' recorded as the reason for exclusion due to constraints on time, cost and translator availability (University of York, 2009).
conference which will be held in Brussels in 2021. Strict adherence to ethical procedures in the dissemination of information particularly when involving young people will be adopted by the researchers. In addition, public health policy and procedures will be adhered to in dissemination of the findings with guidance on any ethical queries with full ethical approval being sought from the authors affiliated University Ethics Committee.

Study status
The study is at Stage 2 -Identification of relevant studies. A review of reference management software has begun with a preliminary incorporation of search terms into the aforementioned search engine databases.

Discussion
The scoping review protocol is an essential component to adopt to structure and organise a scoping literature review.  (2005) measures shall be applied with regard to the process of conducting the scoping review on young carers' experiences and their perceptions regarding their future careers. Clear, specific recommendations for future research based on gaps in knowledge identified from the results of the review will be presented in the scoping review report.

Data availability
No data are associated with this article.
expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard.
First, we are unclear whether the definition of young carer put forward at the beginning of the abstract is the working definition of young carer being proposed in the project as a whole (and in particular as a basis for search terms being adopted for the scoping review). This definition defines young carers as individuals under 18 years old. While this definition reflects the statutory definitions and definitions adopted for many policy purposes (e.g. in relation to identification and assessment of children's support needs within the context of local authority children's services), it excludes those aged 18 or above. However, for this research, it would seem highly relevant to be examining and building up evidence on the participation of young carers who are 18 year olds in compulsory education (the school leaving age is now 18 in England for example) and this seems to be implied by the other sections of the proposal. Including evidence on participation and transitions into 18+ education, training and work careers might also be important. A broader definition of young carers, to include young carers who are 18 years old, and potentially young adult carers aged 18-21, seems to fit with the discussion in the full proposal.
In addition, the definition of young carers set out in the abstract refers to individuals who are undertaking caring activities for relatives. In some instances however it is possible that young carers are providing care for individuals who are not relatives -so again a broader definition would be relevant.
Second, in terms of the circumstances and experiences of young carers in school, it would be interesting to identify and review any available specific evidence on exclusions, absenteeism and lateness, since all three can be indications that children are struggling at school. Data of all three is available in school records.
While the proposal focuses on 'school', 16-18 year olds might be in college or work based training rather than school. It will be important to specify search terms in a way that ensures that any available evidence relating to young carers or young adult carers in the college context is included within the review. Any research gaps relating to the perspective of 16-18 year olds who provide care and who are in college or vocational training rather than school should be identified as part of the scoping review.
Third, in terms of the methods used for the scoping review, one important question that would benefit from a more detailed response is what counts as 'evidence' and relatedly how the quality of the evidence will be evaluated and different types of evidence synthesised. Casting a wide net to ensure all evidence is included on this topic which is so far relatively under-explored is appropriate, but when including such a mix of different types of evidence including websites and conference proceedings, some thought needs to be given as to how findings from these different types of evidence will be integrated when mapping the literature and 'applying meaning to the results'. It is important to evaluate the evidence that is identified in order to answer the research question 'What is known from the literature about young carers in school and their perceptions regarding their future career?' A number of steps can be taken in relation to this. Firstly, the inclusion criteria may be iteratively developed as material is found in order to more clearly distinguish for example what kind of website material will be included. Secondly, study design should be included as a main heading in the charting form so that evidence can be easily grouped depending on the level of robustness. Thirdly, in analysing the data and applying meaning to the results the different types and quality of evidence should be acknowledged, with more emphasis placed on findings from more robust studies. An example of this approach can be found in the section 'a hierarchy of methodologies' in Cooper K and Stewart K (forthcoming) 'Does household income affect children's outcomes? A systematic review of the evidence', Child Indicators Research.
Fourth, a few minor comments related to conducting the searches. The protocol outlines a number of strategies to ensure as wide a search as possible to identify relevant material. In addition to those already mentioned I would recommend the use of snowballing all relevant references found in the studies reviews, as in Greenhalgh, T., & Peacock, R. (2005) 1 . The authors found this method identified many more relevant studies than from searches alone, and this is unsurprising given some of the biases of particular databases.
A couple of additional search terms that may be relevant to add to String 5 are: aspiration and prospects.
Finally, we note that there is no research ethics statement included in the proposal, but that the researchers are proposing meeting with children. It is of course essential that the standard relevant ethics procedures and any child protection clearances that are necessary are complied with.
for your suggestions. We have responded to your comments below: A broader definition of young carers will be provided which will be more aligned to the young carer profile as discussed throughout the protocol.

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It is envisioned the scoping review will highlight the major emergent themes arising out of the literature on young carers in school. Where a preliminary review has highlighted absenteeism and lateness issues for young carers, we will consider this significance in the methodological approaches following the complete scoping review.

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We acknowledge there are 16-18 year old's who provide care and who are in college or vocational training rather than school. Our study is focusing on secondary school students as indicated in our inclusion criteria however it will be acknowledged there is that cohort who exist outside of school and will recommend future research efforts to acknowledge their existence also.

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In relation to reviewing the quality of the evidence literature uncovered, the different types of literature will be made known in the scoping report through the adherence to the 'Joanna Briggs Institute' guidance on evidence transparency using the PRISMA-ScR Checklist (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). We will be transparent and explicit in the approach we will take, including justifying our approach and clearly documenting analyses. The inclusion criteria will be iteratively developed as evidence is uncovered in order to clearly distinguish the type of material included e.g. journals or websites. The study design will be included as a main heading in the charting form to demonstrate and categorize the different types of evidence along with highlighting more robust studies.

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Additional search terms 'aspiration' and 'prospects' will be added to String 5 ○ Within the research context, full ethical approval will be sought from the authors affiliated University along with strict adherence to national and local public health policy and procedures.
question 'What is known from the literature about young carers in school.." seems a bit broad to me. For example, will the study mainly focus on academic engagement, or will it also focus on engagement with peers, bullying and other factors? The study could perhaps start with an examination of different forms of engagement (e.g.., see the well cited paper Fredricks et al. (2004) 1 ). Alternatively, the study could focus on peer relations, or family support, and how these feed into aspirations.
Search databases should include Google Scholar, as it will capture a lot of the gray literature.
Search method is comprehensive and rigorous.
It's really positive to see that findings will be reported to key stakeholders, including young carers. It will be important to hear their views on what they see as important issues for their school life and future aspirations.
Note that the definition of young carers seems to be limited to those providing physical care. An important part of caring is provision of emotional care.
broad topic and therefore the research question adopts this approach also. Google scholar will also be included in the grey literature search.
○ A broader definition of young carers to include the psychosocial and emotional elements of caring will be provided which will be more aligned to the young carer profile as demonstrated throughout the protocol.