Tackling Poverty Amongst Unpaid Carers in Northern Ireland – Final Report from the Carer Poverty Commission Northern Ireland Published

Carers NI has launched a powerful new summary report from the Carer Poverty Commission Northern Ireland, exposing the scale and causes of poverty amongst Northern Ireland’s 220,000 unpaid carers.

Unpaid carers save the NI Executive an estimated £5.8 billion annually, yet 1 in 4 live in poverty, rising to over half for those not in paid work. The report highlights how the additional costs of caring, inadequate social security support, and barriers to employment are driving deep financial hardship. Carers speak movingly about the constant stress, loneliness, and exhaustion they face, with many “one white good appliance away from destitution.”

The report outlines bold, evidence-based recommendations to address this crisis, including:

• A Carer’s Allowance uplift and new Carer’s Essentials Payment to cover the unavoidable costs of caring.
• Paid statutory carer’s leave and the right to request flexible working from day one.
• Dedicated support for young carers, including educational grants and financial recognition.
• A new Northern Ireland Carers Strategy and legal protection for unpaid carers under equality law.

Modelling shows these reforms would lift tens of thousands of carers out of poverty, improve health and wellbeing, boost economic participation, and save millions in benefit costs.

This important publication calls on the Northern Ireland Executive to embed these changes into the upcoming Good Jobs Bill and Anti-Poverty Strategy.

You can read the report in full at the link below.