Almost three quarters of young carers in Brighton and Hove say they have been bullied at some point.

Children and teenagers have suffered physical abuse, name calling, threats and subjected to online campaigns.

The Brighton and Hove Carers Centre says there are around 2,000 young carers in the city although the actual number could be higher as not all carers are using the support available.

A report to a Brighton and Hove City Council bullying panel says 71% of young carers have been victims of bullying.

Senior support worker the the centre's young carers project, Kevin Hutchins, said in the report: “These young carers experience much disadvantage in their lives and this impacts on their school, home and social situations.

“In addition, they experience higher levels of bullying than young people who are not carers.

“Bullying can take many forms and has a significant negative impact on those in this already disadvantaged group.”

Reasons for bullying have included the family and young carer being seen as different – the appearance and disabilities of parents or siblings is a common focus for bullies.

Many carers are unable to join in activities with their peers because of their responsibilities, and that can leave them isolated and struggling to make and keep up friendships.

Some may come from homes with financial problems while others sometimes have an untidy appearance because there is no adult looking after them properly.

The report highlighted two examples:

Chelsea (not her real name)

She is ten years old and is the sole carer for her blind mother.

She helps with shopping, cooking, washing and clearing up, as well as making sure her mother is safe when they go out together.

Chelsea said: “Other children give me a hard time. The way people treat me makes me feel quite sad. I feel like I’m not going to have a good future because I haven’t got that many friends and I don’t really get to play that much.”

Tom (also not his real name)

He is 12 and cares for his mother, who has severely restricted mobility due to chronic arthritis.

Tom reported constant ongoing bullying at school with a number of other students making derogatory comments about his mother.

The situation was reported to the school but no action was taken and the bullying continued until Tom ‘snapped’ with students and staff.

He received a fixed-term exclusion but on completion of this, was unable to return to school for several weeks due to extreme anxiety at the prospect of further bullying.

The bullying scrutiny panel was set up by the city council with the aim of dealing with and preventing bullying.

The next meeting is at Brighton Town Hall on July 11.