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The Carer Poverty Coalition, formed in February 2023, is made up of 100 national and local organisations.

 

Collectively, we will be campaigning to:

  • End poverty amongst carers by advocating for policy change that adequately values, recognises and supports unpaid carers
  • Reform the benefits system to better support carers financially in the short and long term
  • Bring in better systems to support carers to continue with paid work
  • Build awareness of carer poverty and the impact of the cost of living crisis on unpaid carers with Government, parliamentarians, decision makers and the general public

 

Every day across the UK, the work of unpaid carers helps hold society together – an invisible network of support, empathy and care for those who need it most.

However, providing care to family and friends limits their ability to earn a full income adds extra costs that they would not otherwise have. Too often, due to a lack of recognition and support, unpaid carers end up falling into poverty or find themselves in precarious financial positions as a result of their caring role. This is particularly true of carers who care for more than 35 hours a week and those who provide unpaid care over longer periods of time. Financial difficulties also have a significant impact on carers’ physical and mental health and often increase their own need for treatment, support and services in order to cope.

There is a clear moral as well as economic argument for supporting unpaid carers to live on a decent level of income and for supporting those able to continue with paid work whilst caring. Better support for carers to stay in work has clear benefits to the wider economy by improving productivity and reducing unemployment. The value of unpaid care was estimated at £530 million per day and £193 billion per year during the pandemic.[1]

This is a huge contribution to the NHS, social care and to society as a whole. Unpaid carers also provide a vital human connection as well as physical and emotional nourishment needed for our older people to thrive and enable people with disabilities and long-term illnesses to lead dignified, independent lives.

 

[1] Carers UK, Unseen and Undervalued, 2020

Member organisations

Carers UK MS Society
Age UK Oxfam GB
Carers Trust Rethink Mental Illness
Joseph Rowntree Foundation We Care Campaign
Motor Neurone Disease Association  

 

Action for Carers Surrey Greater Manchester Poverty Action
Action for Family Carers Greenwich Carers Centre
Adult Social Care Warriors Hartlepool Carers
Age Scotland Help & Care
Barnet Carers Centre Hospice UK
Be Free Young Carers Independent Age
Bliss Independent Food Aid Network
Brainwave Kingston Carers' Network
Care4CarersClub Lanarkshire Carers
Carers First Leeds City Council
Care for the Carers The Leonardo Trust
Carers in Hertfordshire Lewy Body Society
Carers' Hub Lambeth  London Unemployed Strategies
Carers Leeds Marie Curie
Carers Lewisham Multiple System Atrophy Trust
Carers Network Westminster n-compass North West Ltd
Carers Northern Ireland Neath Port Talbot Council
Carers of Barking and Dagenham Newcastle Carers
Carers of West Lothian North Lanarkshire Carers Together
Carers Oxfordshire North Tyneside Carers Centre
Carers Plus Yorkshire Ltd Parkinson's UK
Carers' Resource Princess Royal Trust For Carers in Hampshire
Carers Scotland Promas Caring for People CIC
Carers Support Centre - Bristol and South Gloucestershire Reading Welfare Rights
Carers' Support East Kent Rett UK
Carers Support Merton Richmond Carers Centre
Carers’ Support Service Northern Lincolnshire Salford City Council
Carers Support West Sussex Sandwell Young Carers Project
Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales Sense
Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire Sheffield Carers Centre
Carers Voice Norfolk and Waveney Sheffield Young Carers
Carers Wakefield & District Shine Charity
Carers Wales South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
Caring for Carers Spinal Injuries Association
Caring Together Subco Trust
City Health Care Partnership CIC Suffolk Family Carers
Civil Service Pensioners' Alliance Swindon Carers Centre 
Cloverleaf Advocacy The Anthony Seddon Centre  
CommuniCare The Care Collective
Contact The Carers Centre
Dementia Carers Count The Positivitree
Enfield Carers Centre The Relatives & Residents Association
Essex Carers Support TuVida
Falkirk District Association for Mental Health Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
FamilyCarersNet Warwickshire Young Carers  
Family Rights Group Women’s Budget Group
Forward Carers Worcestershire Association of Carers
Furness Carers York Carers Centre  
Gaddum Young Lives vs Cancer
GCMHG - Seacole House Z2K

Support our campaign!

Carers UK and 50 other members of the Carer Poverty Coalition wrote an open letter to the Chancellor on 15 November 2023, calling for more financial support for carers. See our open letter here

Write to your MP about our campaign here

To find out more about the coalition or to join, please get in touch with John Perryman:

Latest updates

News
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Carers UK encourages contributions for the Carers Challenge: One week left to submit evidence of good practice in supporting carers
01 December 23
News
Five years on: Celebrating an important milestone for Chief Executive Helen Walker
01 December 23
News
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Unpaid carers saving NI’s health service £5.8 billion per year, research shows
23 November 23

New research uncovers the staggering amount of money unpaid carers are saving Northern Ireland's health service each year.

News
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Stress of juggling work and unpaid care for relatives causes thousands of unpaid carers to leave the workplace / Mae straen jyglo gwaith a gofal di-dâl i berthnasau yn achosi i filoedd o ofalwyr di-dâl adael y gweithle
23 November 23

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