Hidden workforce 2 - Ally's story
At the start of his caring journey, Ally Khodabocus didn't consider himself to be a carer: "I didn't even question it, I was a parent doing my job and doing what you are supposed to do. You have a child …
Hidden workforce - Maggie’s story
"It starts with a weekly shop and taking your parents to the odd hospital appointment, and then there are more and more appointments," explains Maggie Sanderson, one of a group of carers involved in the RiPfA project to develop resources for …
Effective support for carers must be built on trust and understanding
'Caring can be a mixed blessing', says Fatima Khan-Shah, Chair of Investors in Carers, as she introduces a Carers Charter - an initiative designed to help carers and organisations understand each other in the pursuit of improved support for carers, their families and …
It’s the little things that count – supporting great social work practice with carers
With over 6.5 million carers across the UK, Lisa Smith, Research and Development Manager at Research in Practice for Adults (RiPfA), believes we need to make supporting this unpaid workforce a priority. RiPfA has been examining current social work practice and talking …
How to support, engage and enthuse our volunteers
As Volunteers’ Week shines a spotlight on those who freely give up their time to support good causes, Chief Executive of the third sector Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) Rhidian Hughes considers how organisations can recognise and maximise the three million plus volunteers supporting …
Dementia and ethnicity - raising awareness of both is crucial to effective support
Jabeer Butt has worked in and with the voluntary sector to promote race equality and address health inequalities for many years. He was awarded an OBE in 2013 for his achievements in health and is currently Deputy Chief Executive of …
Listening to the lived experiences of carers is a privilege
Yvette Wetton works for Healthwatch Essex as Carer and Engagement Coordinator. It’s her job to reach out to unpaid carers to ask them about their experiences of caring for friends and loved ones. As our call for evidence continues into the …
State of Caring conference 2016 - Carers Strategy takes centre stage
Understand the lived experience of carers, give us the foundations of support to care well without compromising our own health, and appreciate that health and care professionals are not the only experts. These and other sentiments were candidly and positively …
Teamwork between carers and care professionals is vital
Throughout her career, Sharon Allen, Chief Executive of Skills for Care has been clear that carers are vital to supporting the needs of the most vulnerable people in our communities. In her latest blog, part of our ongoing Carers Strategy …
Carers in the spotlight
Alex Fox, CEO of Shared Lives Plus, is perhaps better placed than most to acknowledge the increasingly important role of family carers as part of an overall package of support – but who is supporting them? In his latest blog, …