Several members of the OUR VOICES consortium, Emilia Olving, Miriam Hurtado Monarres, Johanna Miranda Skold, Leda Decleyre, and Lena Vanbergen attended the
International Young Carers Conference 2026 in Berlin at the end of October. Miriam Hurtado Monarres and Emilia Olving presented a summary of the report Minimum Support Standards for Young Carers: From Recognition to Action. The report Minimum Support Standards for Young Carers and Child Participation, was developed as part of Deliverable 2.2. of the OUR VOICES project through a literature review and cross-country analysis in five European contexts and at EU level. It addresses gaps in recognition, organisational support and meaningful participation, and offers practical guidance for sustainable policy, service design and professional practice. Our key takeaway is the development of an adaptable framework for recognising young carers, creating supportive organisational conditions, and ensuring their meaningful participation in policy and practice. The Minimum Support Standards are not intended simply as another statement that young carers should be recognised and listened to but rather to identify the conditions needed to translate these principles into sustainable policy and everyday practice
