More than 1,300 children in Stoke-on-Trent act as carers for family members, new figures show.

Councils have a legal duty to identify and support young carers, defined as people under 18 who provide care, including practical or emotional support, to others.

But managers at Stoke-on-Trent City Council say the authority is better than most at identifying young carers, meaning more are receiving support in the Potteries compared to other places.

According to a new report, there are currently 1,328 identified young carers in Stoke-on-Trent, with the young carers service on course to receive a record number of referrals this year.

Young carers, who may be looking after a parent or sibling, are typically referred by a professional who works with children, such as a teacher.

Once they have been identified the young person and their family are offered support by North Staffs Carers, which recently had its contract with the council extended until 2027.

Members of the children and families services scrutiny committee requested the report on young carers in order to see if enough is being done to support the 'vulnerable' cohort.

The committee was told that families are often reluctant to tell the authorities that a child has caring responsibilities, and sometimes it only comes to light due to poor attendance at school.

In one recent case, a family was 'so frightened that the young person would be removed' if they reported the child was caring for a parent.

But officers said that once a young carer is identified, it can allow the school to provide more support so the pupil does not fall behind in their education.

Cllr David Mountford raised concerns over the rising numbers of identified young carers in Stoke-on-Trent.

He said: "With only two caseworkers for 1,328 identified young carers, is the service adequately resourced? What contingency exists if demand continues to rise?"

Officers explained the caseworker carried out assessments of young carers, with support being provided by the carers hub.

But Neil Macdonald, director of children and families, acknowledged that increasing demand for young carer support would be an issue.

He said: "It would be a big problem, given the level of overspend that we already have.

"So we'd have to look at what we would have to do in terms of cuts to allow us to meet that capacity – that's the reality of where we are.

"But to flip it on its head, we are really unusual in the number of young carers that we've identified. We have identified a far wider cohort of young carers than any other local authority. That is a positive. I don't believe for a minute that they don't exist in other areas."

A recent Ofsted inspection of children's services identified the council's support for young carers as a 'strength'. Committee members agreed to receive a further update on young carers in May.