Financial challenges facing Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities
What I learned about myself and other carers from diverse communities from being involved in the research.
Henry is a British carer from the Black African community. He recently took part in research led by Carers Trust into the financial challenges faced by carers from ethnic minoritised communities, as well as the challenges they face in accessing support services.
He recently sat down with Carers Trust’s Research Manager, Beth Neale, to discuss why he felt it was so important to develop evidence about the experiences of carers from diverse backgrounds – and what he’d learned himself after getting involved. What follows is based on Henry’s conversation with Beth Neale from Carers Trust.
How this research project helped me understand more about carers
Being a carer often means that family members such as partners, children, parents or siblings provide support – whether it’s practical, emotional, or both– for someone close to them who needs it. But it’s not always just family. Sometimes, friends or even close neighbours step in, too.
Taking part in this research study was a brilliant experience. I was able to share my own personal experiences and insights as a carer from the Black African community. This helped build the evidence for the study, which was great. And secondly, I learnt a lot more about carers from being so closely involved. It was really encouraging for me to find out there are some key people and organisations out there who are really trying to help improve carers’ lives.
What I gained from contributing to this research
Participating in this research really helped me feel like I was contributing professionally to leading work that’s calling for more support for unpaid carers from ethnic minoritised communities. This research aims to influence policy and legislation, raise awareness and recognition for carers from diverse backgrounds, and promote carer-friendly workplaces. I’m so proud to contribute to such a meaningful field, while also helping people to better understand and empathise with my role as a carer.
Why this research is so important
I really think this research is so important. One of the main reasons I took part in this research was to help develop the evidence that would help decision-making about carers and make interventions more useful. During this time, I was able to highlight caregiver contributions, talk about what has helped me lessen the load of my caring role and contribute to making carers more aware of support services for them. It was also important to share with the research team what the financial impact of caregiving is, especially carers from diverse backgrounds, and to help them identify gaps where more research is needed.
Findings and impact
This work's findings make a strong case for raising more awareness of what carers from diverse populations deserve and finding more opportunities to promote recognition and support for them. I hope these findings will result in some really positive outcomes. This project was truly rooted in the day-to-day loves of carers. And that is essential if we want carer policy and practice to improve. Working with the team as part of this research project was a wonderful experience.
