Support for Adult Family Carers
Looking after someone as an adult can be challenging – you don’t have to do it alone.

An adult family carer is someone aged 18 or over who provides unpaid care to another adult who could not manage without help, due to illness, disability, mental health needs or age‑related frailty. If you are an adult family carer in Suffolk, support is available to help you manage your caring role and protect your health and wellbeing.

How Suffolk Family Carers can help adult carers

As the largest carer‑focused organisation in Suffolk, we support adult family carers to make sure that, no matter how complex your caring role or questions may feel, you are not alone. Getting the right information, advice and support at the right time can help you manage your caring role and protect your own health and wellbeing, alongside that of the person you care for.

Our friendly, knowledgeable teams provide a wide range of support for adult family carers, including:

Information, Advice and Guidance – tailored to your caring role and circumstances
Emotional Support – to help you cope with the challenges and pressures of caring
Breaks from Caring – schemes and ideas to help you take time for yourself
Advocacy – supporting and representing the rights of the person you care for
Workshops – practical help and emotional support to sustain your wellbeing

We also have community‑based support workers offering face‑to‑face support in major hospitals across Suffolk, in community locations, on military bases, and in local villages.

You may find it helpful to read about how we have supported other family carers across Suffolk. Their experiences and stories may help you feel more confident about accessing support yourself.

Contact The Hub

Our team will take time to listen you, understand how you feel about your caring role, provide you with information and support relevant to your specific caring role and/or if required will ensure you get further support from the most appropriate team. They can also help register you as a family carer.

You can also speak to The Hub via our online chat facility, found at the bottom of your screen.

Support for Adult Family Carers

The services we offer are designed to make your caring journey easier. Whether you need practical advice, emotional support, or help navigating complex systems, we offer a wide range of resources tailored to your needs. Explore the options below to find the right support for you and the person you care for.

Carers Assessments

As a family carer you are entitled to a Carers Assessment from Suffolk County Council. This is an opportunity for you to have a conversation about your caring role and what you want to achieve in your daily life.

Find out more

Armed Forces and Veterans

If you’re a family carer with a connection to the Armed Forces community, whether currently serving or served in the past including National Service, we offer tailored emotional, practical and wellbeing support, helping you feel supported in your caring role.

Find out more

Support in Hospitals

A hospital admission can often be a very anxious and overwhelming time. We have a team based at our 3 major hospitals – Ipswich, West Suffolk and James Paget – available to support you as a family carer whilst the person you care for is in hospital.

Find out more

Workshops

Suffolk Family Carers offer free online and in‑person workshops to registered family carers, providing practical skills, emotional support and wellbeing guidance.

Browse our upcoming workshops

Condition Specific Support

If you care for someone with a specific condition, then you may require more in-depth advice and support. There are lots of local and national organisations who may be able to support you with the person you care for with their specific needs.

Find out more

Working and Caring

Combining work with daily life can be difficult enough. But having to combine this with caring for someone can be particularly challenging. Being a working family carer means you have rights and there are other things you can do to help make things a little easier.

Find out more

Emotional Support in Suffolk

Caring can be rewarding, but it often brings emotional challenges. Our Emotional Support services are here to help you cope with stress, anxiety, and the ups and downs of caring. We provide a safe space to talk, practical advice, and ongoing support so you never feel alone.

Wellbeing for Family Carers

Caring for someone can be deeply rewarding – but it can also be challenging, tiring, and emotionally demanding. That is why it’s so important to look after yourself too. This means paying attention not just to your physical health, but also to your emotional wellbeing.

Find out more

Community Drop-Ins

Our drop-in sessions provide you with an opportunity to get support closer to home. Simply stop by for a chat and our friendly staff will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with the information or emotional support you need.

Find out more

Peer Support Groups

Local peer support groups are a great way to meet other family carers in your area. Many bring together current and former carers to provide friendship and support to each other. They provide an opportunity to share information and experiences as well as a break from your caring role.

Peer Support Groups

Taking a Break

Taking a break, (sometimes known as respite) can take many forms, as does the support you need to achieve this. For most family carers taking a break is essential to their wellbeing. A break could be as little as 5 minutes, an hour here and there or something planned for longer.

Find out more

Practical Support for Family Carers

Caring for someone can involve many practical demands and decisions. Some of our services may help you with the everyday challenges of caring, offering clear information, helpful guidance and solutions that fit your situation. We’re here to support you so caring feels less overwhelming.

Moving & Handling

It is essential to understand safe moving and handling practice so that you don’t hurt yourself, or the person you care for. The most common injuries for family carers are across the back, which may limit your movement and ability to look after the person you care for .

Find out more

Considering a Care Home

There may come a time when the person you care for can no longer live at home. Their care needs may have increased, or you may no longer be able to provide the level of care they need. Finding the right care home for you and the person you care for is very important.

Considering a Care Home

Funded Respite Options

At Suffolk Family Carers we have certain funded provisions which allow some family carers to take the break they need, or assists when you as the family carer needs a planned hospital stay or medical procedure.

Find out more

Life After Caring

There are different reasons as to why a caring role may change or end, the person you care for may recover, their needs may change, you may be dealing with bereavement or you cannot provide the level of care needed.

Has your caring role changed?

Technology

Many of us use technology in our everyday lives but have you thought about how it could help make your life as a family carer easier.

How Technology Could Help

Cost of Living

The cost of living crisis is affecting people up and down the country, particularly putting pressure on those on low incomes as the cost of energy, food, fuel and basic commodities all rise at the same time.

Find out more