A 17-year-old from Kingston, who looks after his younger brother with special needs, is joining a Parliament protest to fight for carers' rights for respite care.

Aditya Akella is an unpaid carer for Gautam, 12, who has severe autism, ADHD, is non-verbal and needs help from showering to eating.

Aditya is one of eight carers who will be shown on vans holding a placard as they move around Parliament.

Aditya with his placard (Credit: SWNS)

Aditya says he doesn't get a break from caring during the holidays and the time he spends looking after his brother often increases.

He will join unpaid carers protesting from their kitchens and living rooms across the country.

Participants will be shown inside their homes via huge LED screens outside Parliament.

It serves as a stark reminder that these people are unable to take time out to protest in person, as they're on duty 24 hours a day.

17-year-old Aditya cares for his 12-year-old brother (Credit: SWNS)

Aditya said: "Young carers are one of the most forgotten groups out there. It is extremely important that young carers are finally being heard.

"It is a first step, and it gives a lot of optimism for what young carers can do in the future, and I think it is only the groundwork before we can start seeing young carers starting to get actually involved in suggesting solutions and reforms."

Aditya's responsibilities include safety awareness, dealing with hygiene, emotional support, feeding and communication.

He has been taking care of his brother "for as long as he remembers".

He said: "Logistically, it is not the easiest. He is non-verbal completely, so he is not able to vocalise what he wants. He has no safety awareness and so anyone looking after him has to make sure he is safe all the time.

"He is completely dependent on his carers and that includes us feeding up, feeding him, washing him, putting him to bed - everything is our responsibility.

"I don't really have time for focused work because a lot of the times when I sit down and wanna work there is always a need that I need to fulfil."

But despite his struggles as a young carer Aditya says it "gives you a reason to be better".

He said: "We have responsibilities and we should use that to become more mature and more driven and aspire to build a better future for ourselves.

"Over the years I have definitely become more mature and ambitious. It has made me more organised and disciplined."

He added: "I don't think if I had cared for my brother I wouldn't have worked as hard for my education or towards maintaining my family relations.

"I will always be a career, so why not be the best out there."

'Young carers are one of the most forgotten groups out there. It is extremely important that young carers are finally being heard,' says Aditya (Credit: SWNS)

Together with actor and former live-in carer Greg Wise, charity Carers Trust is calling on the nation to sign a petition, demanding the UK Government provides more support for the UK's six million unpaid carers.

The protest comes as a new study of 250 unpaid carers in England reveals that almost one in three (29%) rarely take a respite break, with one in seven (15%) admitting they never take a break from their care duties.

This lack of downtime leaves unpaid carers reporting feelings of burnout (60%), frustration (47%) and depression (27%).

Kirsty McHugh, CEO of Carers Trust, said: "It's incredibly disappointing that the UK Government still hasn't given unpaid carers a right to respite.

"For decades, successive governments have depended on unpaid carers to provide social care on the cheap, which has delayed the need to come up with long-term funding and support.

"Whilst the Government is focused on strengthening employment rights, it seems to have forgotten unpaid carers – who can't take a break at all."

You can sign the petition here.