This year Carers’ Week will be taking place between 8th - 14th June with a theme of ‘Building Carer Friendly Communities’
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid family carers face. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as family carers and access much-needed support.
Suffolk Family Carers will again be acting as the co-ordinator for Carers Week across Suffolk in 2026. We work with a wide range of charities and partners to recognise and celebrate the important contribution made by Suffolk’s estimated 65,000 carers.
What makes a community carer friendly?
Carer friendly communities are places, spaces, services and community groups where unpaid family carers are recognised, understood, and valued. They make support part of everyday life ensuring carers get the opportunities and help they need. They are made up of people who:
- recognise unpaid carers and the vital role they play.
- understand the realities and impact of caring.
- take action to identify and support carers in practical ways.
- empower carers to live fulfilling lives.
When communities work together in this way, carers have fairer opportunities and can lead better lives.
As ever the campaign will be brought to life by the thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to provide support for carers, run activities, highlight the vital role carers play in our communities and draw attention to just how important caring is.
Why we need carer friendly communities?
Carer friendly communities can exist anywhere. Even small changes to support carers can, and do, make a big difference to their’ daily lives. There are lots of different ways people can help
Business and services – making everyday tasks easier for carers by offering flexible or priority access.
Community – sports clubs, faith groups, or community organisations creating opportunities for carers to feel connected.
Education – schools, colleges, or universities identifying young and young adult carers and putting support in place to help them reach their potential.
Health – GP practices, pharmacies or health services raising awareness amongst their staff to help identify and connect carers to support.
Social care – taking a whole-family approach to ensure everyone gets the help they need.
Work – offering flexible working to support employees to juggle paid work and caring.
Together, let’s build carer friendly communities – and make a real and lasting difference to the lives of family carers everywhere.
Get Involved
You can attend any of the events shown below, or join us by adding your name on the carers week website as Together we’re building carer friendly communities
Downloadable Resources
You can support us to put family carers on the map by spreading the word about the great work they do across the county. To help you with this below you will find a range of downloadable resources that we would love for you to use and sharing that Together we can build carer friendly communities.
You can also;
- Share your story of becoming a carer, and how you recognised you needed support. Email us on marketing@suffolkfamilycarers.org
- Raise awareness and help build your own carer friendly community.
- Register your company with Employers for Carers to access FREE resources which provide guidance on supporting carers in the workplace. This information is available through our partnership with Suffolk County Council.
Let’s celebrate Carers Week together.
To recognise and celebrate family carers and everything they do Suffolk Family Carers and other organisations across the county have organised a range of special events, both online and in-person just for you. It’s a chance to take a well-earned break, connect with others, and enjoy some time for yourself.
Our calendar is regularly updated and shows the events we are aware of. If you would like to add to this list please contact us
