Carers UK recently launched their annual State of Caring Survey to help paint a comprehensive picture of what life is like for family carers like you at the moment, the challenges you might face, and the impact caring has on your finances, health, and wellbeing and employment. It’s incredibly important for them to be able to use your responses in policy and campaigning work and it is vital that family carers’ voices are heard in the campaign for change from the next UK Government and from Governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Last year almost 12,000 family carers completed the survey, with the feedback being used to make several recommendations to prevent carer poverty through the Carer Poverty Coalition.
In addition your input from previous surveys means Carers UK have been able to successfully campaign for new legislation allowing carers to take unpaid carers leave and to set down a good evidence base for the implementation of the Carer’s Leave Act 2023. Your responses have also been used to campaign on carers’ rights, although more progress needs to be made to ensure family carers get the support they are entitled to.
The results from last year have also been discussed on national TV shows, as well as local BBC radio, and in many national and local newspapers, raising the profile of unpaid caring across the UK. The voices of family carers and their experiences are at the heart of this coverage.
This year the survey again covers issues and areas that family carers say matter to them. It may take around 20-30 minutes to complete but if you don’t get to the end your responses will be saved and sent to Carers UK, even if you don’t finish. However, please continue with the questions as far as possible as this allows Carers UK to advocate far better for carers.
The survey closes on 11 August with the results being published later this year
