During Carers Week (10th-16th June) Suffolk Family Carers were active across the county helping to raise awareness of unpaid family carers in a variety of ways. Find out more of what we got up to below and why Carers Week is so important.
What is Carers Week?
It’s an annual campaign run by Carers UK to help raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face, and recognise the contribution that family carers make to families and communities through the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much needed support.
Each year has a different theme and this year it was ‘Putting Carers on the Map’. The aim of this theme was to increase the visibility of unpaid carers among politicians, employers and throughout communities.
Kirsten Alderson, Suffolk Family Carers CEO said “Across the UK the value of family carers’ support is estimated to be a staggering £162 billion per year with up to 3 in 5 unpaid family carers worried about how they will manage in the future. Raising awareness and campaigning for unpaid family carers is hugely important especially with the upcoming election. It provides an opportunity for local politicians of all parties to recognise and support Suffolk’s 65,000 family carers in ways that would benefit their lives, improve their health, prevent poverty and ensure those who want to can remain in work.”
What we did?
We organised a number of different events across Suffolk to help get people involved and talking about unpaid carers. Our Communities team were out and about at different locations, including GP surgeries, hosting drop-in sessions where people were able to gain information about our organisation, understand more about the role of a family carer, and talk about their caring roles.
Each day the hospital teams set up information stands or drop-in sessions in Ipswich Hospital, West Suffolk Hospital and James Paget University Hospital. The team at Ipswich Hospital had 72 family carers and 33 professionals visit them over the week. Many of these family carers were actually visiting their cared for person in hospital. The team used this opportunity to visit the wards and help make appointments for the family carer. There was a large map of Suffolk at each drop-in where visitors were encouraged to mark where they live, giving us a really good idea of where our support is needed. Around 20 family carers visited the drop-in session at James Paget University Hospital and were able to talk to Alice and Emma about what support is available to them in the Waveney area.
It’s important for us to engage with professionals within health and social care as well as employers and business owners. The Ipswich Hospital team were able to supply relevant literature to the professionals who attended. Our Communities Team hosted a drop-in session specifically for Employers and Business Owners at our office in Claydon.
Michelle Nicholls, Family Advisor said, “With many family carers juggling work and their caring roles, our support for employers is very important in highlighting the impact of caring responsibilities on employees and the ways in which they can be supported to stay in work. I was on hand to provide guidance and information, talking about the support Suffolk Family Carers can provide including digital and physical resources, online information sessions for staff, and support with setting up carer groups and carer champions.”
How we celebrated Family Carers?
One of the biggest events we held during Carers Week was our Celebration Afternoon Tea Party for family carers. This event was organised by our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team and saw nearly 30 family carers attend. They took part in wellbeing activities during the afternoon such as a singing session led by Music in Our Bones, seated yoga and more. Of course they enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea too!
Clare Billings-Deed, Workshops Facilitator said, “Our ‘Put-Yourself-on-the-map’ activity showed just how isolated some family carers in Suffolk really are and it was so lovely that they were able to take a little time out from their busy caring roles and connect with each other.”
Our bookmark competition winners were also announced during Carers Week and the printed bookmarks were distributed across the county. The bookmarks all have different messages behind them, but they all show the essence of what we do at Suffolk Family Carers and how resilient family carers of all ages can be.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors and volunteers for their support during Carers Week to make all the events possible.
