New report calls for more support and recognition for unpaid carers

A new report highlights the impact that caring can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing, and how these daily challenges can often be exacerbated by a lack of digital access.

A new report from Tinder Foundation, in partnership with Family Fund, Carers Trust and Carers UK, highlights the impact that caring can have on an individual’s health and wellbeing, and how these daily challenges can often be exacerbated by a lack of digital access.

This report, which draws from a mixture of focus groups, interviews with carer support organisations and a survey of over 1,800 carers (conducted by Carers UK and Family Fund), draws attention to the often overlooked needs of carers and calls for action to improve the support available.

The main findings include:

• Unpaid caring is a hidden issue: Many people providing care don’t necessarily see themselves as carers, and national and community organisations don’t feel they are reaching as many carers as they’d like with information and support.
• Caring leaves little time to focus on own health: With those surveyed having a considerably lower health and wellbeing score against the national average, and 20% of carers considering themselves to have a mental health condition, it’s important carers receive the support they need to help them look after themselves.
• Carers feel unsupported: One of the biggest challenges carers say they face is a lack of support - financial, practical and emotional support. Not knowing where to get support is a problem, with 17% of carers saying they don’t know where to go, and 29% saying there is a lack of support available.
• Digital exclusion is a key issue amongst carers: Socially excluded people such as those of low economic status, of older age and with a disability are more likely to be digitally excluded. Many carers fall into these categories and therefore many carers are missing out on the benefits the internet can bring. Only 15% of survey respondents use the internet to claim benefits online, and only 31% to save money online.

One parent carer of a disabled child was quoted as saying “Caring has affected my health; I have got fibromyalgia. I lack spontaneity, I can’t make any plans and I am always late. People don’t understand - I am managing different households. What is my future like? What will happen to me because I spend so much time looking after someone else?”

The report makes several recommendations, including:

• Raise the profile of caring. Local and national organisations should continue to work in partnership to raise the profile of carers within their networks and use volunteers as a way to reach unidentified carers.
• Support carers to focus on their own health by promoting the use of digital tools to save time and make life easier, through recommended health and wellbeing resources and digital peer and emotional support platforms.
• Raise awareness of support that fits around carer demands through easy access to online portals with bespoke local carer information and guidance (on benefits entitlements and how to save money ), with trusted, recommended resources and eLearning to keep carers up-to-date on carer best practice and expertise.
• Reduce digital exclusion amongst carers by working in partnership at a national and local level to campaign for support to help carers overcome barriers of access, motivation and skills, through online learning platforms to help carers develop digital, lobbying for cheaper home access options for carers and raising awareness of affordable home access options on offer.

Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive of Family Fund, said “Every year Family Fund supports tens of thousands of parent carers with grants which help ease some of the daily pressures of caring. Parents tell us they experience a range of pressures from suitable childcare to flexible working arrangements and the day-to-day impact on home life, particularly sleep.”

“The more we know, the better we can help. The results particularly highlight the prevalence of isolation amongst carers and the importance of maintaining carers’ wellbeing and resilience - issues we will continue to advocate for action on. We have welcomed contributing to this project and ensuring parent carers have been able to give their views and we hope it will raise awareness amongst others to improve the support and information available to carers.”

To read the full report, visit: http://www.tinderfoundation.org/our-thinking/research-publications/health-and-wellbeing-unpaid-carers

Notes to editors

1. The report was written by Tinder Foundation in partnership with Carers Trust, Carers UK and Family Fund. Tinder Foundation is a not-for-profit social enterprise that “makes good things happen with digital technology. Tinder Foundation supports thousands of community partners to be smarter in how they use digital technology, including through our Community How To website and the Learn My Way online learning platform, which has helped more than 1.6 million people gain the skills they need to use computers and the internet confidently.”
2. The research methodology of the report combined deep dive qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. Tinder held seven focus groups with 40 carers with differing levels of computer and internet use attending UK online centres and Carers Trust Network Partners. They carried out nine interviews with carer support organisations, collected the views of 1,802 carers through an online survey administered by Carers UK and Family Fund, and held two webinars to discuss emerging research findings with partner organisations. To measure the health and wellbeing of carers taking part in the research, Tinder used the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS)17 which is a scale of seven positively worded items, with five response categories, for assessing a population's mental wellbeing.
3. There are millions of carers in the UK, with 5.8 million people providing unpaid care, of which 1.4 million people provide 50 hours or more of unpaid care a week, and 3 million people combine caring with work.
4. Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity for disabled children and has over 42 years of supporting families raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people to have the same opportunities as others. It does this by providing grants for essential items such as kitchen appliances, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, tablet, much-needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Family Fund supported 72,043 families with over £33 million in grants and services. www.familyfund.org.uk
5. Grant applications and relevant information on who we help and how to apply can be found at our website www.familyfund.org.uk. Families can contact the team using the Contact Us page or by calling 01904 621115.

Press contact

For all media enquiries, contact Jim Paterson on 01904 571094/07825 699192 (office hours Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or email comms@familyfund.org.uk

Jim Paterson, Communications Manager
Family Fund, 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York, YO32 9WN

Tel: 01904 571094 / 07825 699192 email: comms@familyfund.org.uk

The Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity and has over forty years of helping families with disabled children. It helps ease the additional pressures faced by low-income families raising a disabled child by giving them grants for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines, dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much- needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Fund supported over 72,000 families.

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