The UK charity supporting people caring unpaid for older, disabled and seriously ill relatives and friends has set out an ambitious direction of travel to make life better for unpaid carers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 crisis has had a disproportionate impact on carers, with the majority providing many more hours of care at home with limited practical support. Caring through the pandemic has taken a significant toll on carers’ health and financial stability as they have struggled to access services and take the breaks from caring they needed.
The strategy, Vision 2025, sets out the charity’s three main goals for the next five years:
- to create a society that requires carers to be treated equally in all aspects of their lives
- to connect carers so that no one has to care alone
- to halve the time it takes for carers to recognise themselves as carers and get the support they need.
Adapting to the challenges presented by the pandemic, Carers UK’s strategic plan is ambitious in its aims for carers but also encompasses flexibility to ensure it can continue to support them during a turbulent period.
The charity’s focus will be split over three core pillars: Equality, Support and Recognition for carers, which will be underpinned by measuring impact and generating income.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said:
“After an extraordinarily difficult year we know carers will need even more support as we come out of the pandemic: respite care and support services resuming, flexible working challenges addressed, financial issues created by the pandemic resolved - to name just a few.
“Our Vision 2025 offers a strategic direction of travel that does not hold back our ambition, adaptability, and opportunism but also accounts for the flexibility we will need to navigate the months ahead to ensure carers are supported.
“What is clear is the number of unpaid carers has increased significantly and we must galvanise them into a true movement for carers. We need to be bold and brave; assertive in our demands for carers.”
Vision 2025 is based upon discussions and research with a working group of staff, carers, professionals and trustees during 2020. The strategy takes Carers UK to its 60th anniversary in 2025.
Read Carers UK’s strategy Vision 2025 in full.