Everyday across the UK, the work of unpaid family carers helps hold society together, with around 10.6m people providing care across the UK for those who need it most. Providing care to family and friends often limits carers’ earning potential and adds extra costs that they would not otherwise have.
As a result, unpaid family carers end up in poverty or find themselves in precarious financial positions. This is particularly true of family carers who care more intensively and those who provide unpaid care over longer periods of time. These financial challenges faced by family carers have a significant impact on their physical and mental health, which often increases their own need for treatment, support and services to enable them to cope.
As a proud member of the Carer Poverty Coalition Suffolk Family Carers want to see every political party commit to policies that would help unpaid family carers who are currently living in poverty or who are experiencing financial difficulties. This includes setting out comprehensive plans to prevent any family carers from falling into poverty in the first place.
Ahead of the General Election later this year the coalition has launched it manifesto which outlines it’s asks of Government ahead of the General Election.
The manifesto covers 4 key areas.
- Putting an end to carer poverty
- Supporting carers at all stages of their caring journey
- Reforming Carer’s Allowance
- Making work pay
