Carers Support Fund Wales Programme

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About Our Current Carers Support Fund Programme

The Carers Support Fund, funded by the Welsh Government, aims to provide essential services and grant funding to support unpaid carers who are facing financial hardship, particularly due to the rising cost of living and the lasting effects of the pandemic.

Since its inception in 2022, the fund has provided £4.5 million in grant funding, benefiting local organisations and aiding over 15,000 unpaid carers across Wales. These grants offer crucial relief to individuals who are caring for loved ones without formal compensation, helping to alleviate financial pressures.

Carers Support Fund 2022-25: Impact

Our goals for unpaid carers

The Carers Support Fund focuses on four key objectives:

  1. Reduce financial hardship: Alleviating the economic challenges faced by unpaid carers through grant funding and financial assistance.
  2. Improve quality of life and mental wellbeing: Enhancing the overall well-being of carers by addressing the stressors they encounter in their caregiving roles.
  3. Improve awareness of support: Increasing access to information and resources that can assist carers, ensuring they know what help is available to them.
  4. Support carers to continue their role: Providing essential services and aid to empower carers to continue their caregiving responsibilities with less strain.

How the fund supports unpaid carers

Additional services

The Carers Support Fund offers a range of services to unpaid carers through local organisations, designed to address financial hardships and improve overall well-being.

These services include:

  1. Direct financial advice and income support: Offering guidance to help carers navigate financial challenges.
  2. Financial literacy and money management workshops: Covering topics such as budgeting, energy saving, debt management, gambling awareness, and accessing discounts.
  3. Council tax support: Assistance in managing and reducing council tax burdens.
  4. Carer skills and life skills workshops: Helping carers develop practical skills like CV writing, cooking, and clothes repair, which can enhance their independence and quality of life.
  5. Debt and money management support: Providing professional advice to help carers manage debt and plan for a stable financial future.
  6. Counselling and therapy: Addressing mental health needs by offering emotional support and therapy services.
  7. Signposting and referrals to financial support organisations: Connecting carers to vital resources such as food banks, community gardening initiatives, and welfare benefit advice.
  8. Wellbeing activities and workshops: Organising sessions to enhance physical and mental health through activities focused on relaxation, self-care, and emotional resilience.
  9. Advocacy services: Ensuring carers have a voice in accessing the services they need and advocating for their rights.
  10. Provision of financial awareness resources: Supplying educational content to improve financial awareness and decision-making among unpaid carers.

These services aim to relieve financial pressures, empower carers with life skills, and offer emotional support, enhancing their ability to continue their caregiving roles.

Direct grants

The Carers Support Fund also provides direct grants to unpaid carers through local organisations, helping to alleviate financial pressures and improve their quality of life. These grants are allocated for essential items and services, including:

  1. White goods/household items: Support for purchasing appliances and household essentials.
  2. Food and supermarket vouchers: Assistance with buying groceries and basic needs.
  3. IT equipment: Funding for Wi-Fi, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones to help carers stay connected and access resources.
  4. Educational opportunities: Grants for courses and activities that promote personal development and learning.
  5. Fuel/energy costs: Helping with rising fuel and energy expenses to ease the financial burden.
  6. Warm clothing: Assistance with purchasing clothing for colder weather.
  7. Uniforms: Support for carers who need uniforms for their work or training.
  8. Household repairs: Funding to address essential home maintenance and repairs.
  9. Transport costs: Assistance with travel expenses, ensuring carers can fulfill their duties and access services.
  10. Energy-saving equipment: Grants for items like air fryers, electric blankets, slow cookers, and shower timers to help reduce energy consumption and lower bills.

These direct grants provide practical, immediate financial relief to unpaid carers, ensuring they have the necessary resources to support both themselves and those they care for.

UK carers, particularly unpaid or family carers, often face significant disadvantages in several key areas. These challenges impact their financial situation, health, and social well-being.

1. Financial Disadvantages:

  1. Low Carer's Allowance: Carers who provide more than 35 hours of care per week and earn below a threshold can claim Carer's Allowance, which is currently around £76.75 per week (2024 rate). This is well below the minimum wage, making it financially challenging for carers to meet their own living costs.
  2. Limited Employment Opportunities: Many carers are forced to reduce their working hours or leave employment altogether to fulfill their caregiving duties. This results in lower lifetime earnings, reduced pension contributions, and limited career progression opportunities.
  3. Additional Costs: Carers often face extra costs associated with providing care, such as transport, home adaptations, or special equipment. This can strain their already limited financial resources.

2. Health Disadvantages:

  1. Physical Health: Carers frequently experience physical health problems, such as back injuries or chronic pain, due to the physical demands of lifting and supporting the person they care for.
  2. Mental Health: The emotional toll of caregiving can lead to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The continuous responsibility and lack of respite can lead to burnout.
  3. Lack of Health Support: Many carers neglect their own health needs due to time constraints or financial barriers, leading to untreated medical conditions or delays in seeking medical help.

3. Social Isolation:

  1. Lack of Free Time: Full-time carers often have little or no time for social activities or maintaining personal relationships, which can lead to loneliness and social isolation.
  2. Reduced Support Networks: The demanding nature of caregiving can cause carers to lose contact with friends or struggle to engage in community activities, further exacerbating their isolation.

4. Limited Access to Support Services:

  1. Inadequate Respite Care: Many carers lack access to respite care, which would allow them to take breaks from their caregiving duties. Even when respite care is available, it is often expensive or difficult to arrange.
  2. Difficulty Navigating the System: Carers often struggle to navigate complex systems to access support services, financial assistance, and medical care for the person they care for. The process can be time-consuming and bureaucratic, adding to their stress.

5. Impact on Education and Career Development:

  1. Younger Carers: Young carers, often school-age children or teenagers can be disadvantaged educationally due to the demands of caregiving. This may lead to lower academic attainment and limited opportunities for higher education or career development.
  2. Career Sacrifice: Adult carers may have to make significant career sacrifices, reducing their chances of advancing in their profession or pursuing further training and development.

6. Pensions and Long-term Financial Security:

  1. Pension Gaps: Carers who are unable to work or are employed part-time may face gaps in their pension contributions, leading to long-term financial insecurity in retirement.
  2. Ineligibility for Some Benefits: Carers who work part-time or are on a low income may be ineligible for certain financial support schemes, further limiting their financial stability.

7. Gender Inequality:

  1. Disproportionate Burden on Women: Women are more likely to take on unpaid caring responsibilities, leading to a greater impact on their financial and career prospects compared to men. This contributes to wider gender inequalities in both the workplace and retirement security.

These disadvantages highlight the need for improved policies and support systems to better address the needs of UK carers. Enhanced financial support, accessible health services, and practical respite care options could alleviate some of these challenges.

Struggles for carers include balancing employment, finances and their own wellbeing as they juggle their caring commitments with their own lives.

Detailed below is information on the local organisations funded to support carers as part of this programme. Applications from individual unpaid carers to the Carers Support Fund should be made directly to the local provider.

Questions about the Carers Support Fund should be directed to wales@carers.org.

Local Authority Area Support

Please see below for summary details of support organisations available for carers in their area:

Carers Support Fund Providers

Please see below for summary details of what each provider is delivering for carers in their area: