Carers UK

Carers give so much to society yet as a consequence of caring they experience ill health, poverty and discrimination. Carers UK is an organisation of carers fighting to end this injustice. It will not stop until people recognise the true value of carers' contribution to society and carers get the practical, financial and emotional support they need. Carers UK - the voice of carers - was set up in 1965. It is both a campaigning and advocacy organisation, and deliverer of services to end-user carers and professionals working with carers. Its mission is to improve carers' lives by:

  • campaigning for change
  • providing information and advice
  • building an evidence base
  • mobilising supporters
  • transforming understanding of caring

It provides information through its helpline, Carersline, and through its website, dealing with over 36,000 queries each year. It produces printed materials, and manages a dedicated web forum for carers to enable them to network and offer mutual support.

Carers UK has an ongoing research programme, and carries out surveys through its membership as well as commissioning external research. To download free PDFs of its reports go here.

Carers UK has a dedicated training and consultancy service for professionals working with carers, and supports carers to engage with local services and campaigns through its Equal Partners information network and training programme. Through Affiliate Membership of Carers UK, organisations working with carers can ensure they are kept in touch with the latest developments and information on carers and caring.

Carers UK administers Employers for Carers, a membership forum dedicated to helping employers develop carer-friendly working polices and practices, providing a dedicated interactive website, information materials and talilored training and consultancy.

Carers UK is a membership organisation - led by carers through its governance structure - but reaches carers well beyond its direct membership. In addition to its 10,000 members, it has:

  • 65 branches across the UK offering support and a local voice
  • 494 affiliate members, including local authorities, in touch with 300,000 carers
  • 1,543 organisations who support its work, in touch with 950,000 carers
  • 4,103, organisations directly involved in its Carers Week consortium, in touch with 2.5 million carers

Find out more about Carers UK here.