THE LOST CHILDHOODS

THE House of Lords is set to debate the issues exposed by our Lost Childhoods investigation, including the intolerable burden on child carers.

It follows the report by the Children’s Commissioner for England which found that 670,000 children are living in “high-risk” families whose privations are mostly invisible to the authorities.

The two-hour debate, due to take place on December 14, was initiated by Labour politician Brenda Dean after she read the Lost Childhoods articles.

Baroness Dean said: “It is a disgrace. The plight of children like eight-yearold carer Beau Broomfield had me almost in tears. These kids deserve better support and it is our job as a nation to see they get it.” She added: “I hope this debate will ensure the recommendations of the commissioner’s report will be acted on.” Last week’s series also prompted an outpouring of support from readers for the children and adults featured.

Krystel Baeza, 33, said the story of Beau — the main carer for his chronically ill mother Rose Coffen — had “touched my heart”. She added: “I want to transform Christmas, a time he remembers with sadness from last year, into an incredible and positive memory.

“I have set up a GoFundMe page and I’m hoping to raise £400 — of which £50 is already donated — to get presents for Beau and buy him and his mum Christmas dinner.” Rose, 38, was overjoyed. “Thank you!” she said. “Beau is such a star and he will be delighted.”

Another reader, Elizabeth Getman, said: “My son is 15, doing his GCSEs, but when he’s not chained to his textbooks, we love going out to visit National Trust and English Heritage sites, or exploring museums. I’d be delighted to arrange a day out for Beau on the weekend from time to time.”

Several readers told us they had also been child carers and called for action. Catja Thum, a 46-year-old homeopath living in Belgravia, said: “Beau’s story is exactly my story, only that I was 13 and a girl and supposedly ready to take care of my sick mother, as my dad was always working. I grew up in a decent middle-class environment, but nobody noticed, nobody asked, nobody knew what I was going through.”

The struggles of Lauren, 21, after she was dumped by her mother, left home alone by her father and failed by care homes, prompted one reader to offer to mentor her. Rachel Parsons, a 44year-old mother of two and a director