Carers

We know that roughly 1 in 10 people are unpaid carers supporting a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.   

Carers say access to information, financial support and respite care are essential to help them maintain their own health and quality of life, but this basic support is not always available.  With growing numbers of carers, especially older carers, the support they need to continue this vital unpaid role has never been more important.

Our grants strategy between 2016 and 2022 recognised the enormity of the task voluntary organisations have in reaching out to carers. We focused our support on providing Development Grants for specialist carer organisations to enable them to become more resilient and sustainable in the long term.

Carers organisations were a priority group for us during the pandemic and in 2021 and 2022 our funding was specifically targeted at young carers as we understood that they were likely to have been disproportionately affected by lockdowns.

Young carers already faced barriers and challenges at school and in reaching their full academic potential and the pandemic exacerbated this. Working within school settings can help to prevent a caring role from impacting negatively on a young carer’s education, health and well-being. Many young adult carers also feel conflicted about leaving home to study at a university or college and find it difficult juggling their role as a student and a carer. Recognising this unique situation and working with these young people can help them navigate the pressures of higher education and caring, while improving their education and employment opportunities