More than 90 organisations, including 88 charities, across the UK have formed a coalition with the aim to end financial hardship among unpaid carers.
The Carer Poverty Coalition will campaign for targeted financial support for millions of unpaid carers as well as changes so that they can combine caring with paid employment.
Led by Carers UK, the coalition said it would like the government to introduce “a benefits system” for people who provide huge amounts of unpaid care.
The coalition comprises 88 charities including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and five local organisations such as Leeds City Council and City Health Care Partnership CIC.
Its first all-member meeting post-launch will be on 28 February where members will discuss planning and policies among other things.
‘Carers deserve better’
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said that unpaid carers, whose work “helps hold society together”, cannot earn a full income while caring for their family and friends.
“As a coalition, we believe carers deserve better,” she said.
“There is a clear moral as well as economic argument for supporting unpaid carers to live on a decent income and for supporting those able to continue with paid work whilst caring to stay in work. We hope government and policymakers will see this too.”
Abby Jitendra, principal policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, added: “It’s not right that 29% of unpaid carers are living in poverty, a significantly higher rate than those without caring responsibilities, and the gap is getting wider.
“The act of caring is hugely valuable to us as a society and to the people being cared for but this isn’t reflected by our social security system, which should be ensuring that nobody has to go without essentials. Carers deserve better and as a nation we must do better, which is why this coalition is so important.”
Chris James, director of external affairs at MNDA, said: “Carers make great sacrifices to provide care and support to their loved ones – they in turn need support.
“That’s why the MND Association has joined forces with 90 organisations to call on the government for carers to receive improved financial support and more opportunities to remain in work.”
The full list of members is as follows:
Access Social Care
Action for Carers Surrey
Action for Family Carers
Age UK
Barnet Carers Centre
Be Free Young Carers
Bliss
Care4CarersClub
Carers First
Carers in Hertfordshire
Carers Leeds
Carers Lewisham
Carers Network Westminster
Carers Northern Ireland
Carers of Barking and Dagenham
Carers of West Lothian
Carers Oxfordshire
Carers Plus Yorkshire Ltd
Carers’ Resource
Carers Scotland
Carers Support Centre - Bristol and South Gloucestershire
Carers’ Support East Kent
Carers Support Merton
Carers Support West Sussex
Carers Trust
Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales
Carers Trust Mid Yorkshire
Carers UK
Carers Voice Norfolk and Waveney
Carers Wakefield & District
Carers Wales
Caring for Carers
Caring Together
City Health Care Partnership CIC
Civil Service Pensioner Alliance
Cloverleaf Advocacy
CommuniCare
Contact
Enfield Carers Centre
Essex Carers Support
Falkirk District Association for Mental Health
FamilyCarersNet
Forward Carers
Furness Carers
Gaddum Centre
GCMHG - Seacole House
Greenwich Carers Centre
Hartlepool Carers
Help & Care
Hospice UK
Independent Age
Independent Food Aid Network
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Kingston Carers’ Network
Leeds City Council
Lewy Body Society
London Unemployed Strategies
Motor Neurone Disease Association
MS Society
MSA Trust
n-compass North West Ltd
Neath Port Talbot Council
Newcastle Carers
North Lanarkshire Carers Together
North Tyneside Carers Centre
Oxfam GB
Parkinson’s UK
Princess Royal Trust For Carers in Hampshire
Rethink Mental Illness
Rett UK
Richmond Carers Centre
Sandwell Young Carers Project
Sense
Sheffield Carers Centre
Shine Charity
South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership
Spinal Injuries Association
Subco Trust
Suffolk Family Carers
Swindon Carers Centre
The Anthony Seddon Centre
The Care Collective
The Carers Centre
The Relatives & Residents Association
TuVida
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
Warwickshire Young Carers
We Care Campaign
Women’s Budget Group
Worcestershire Association of Carers
York Carers Centre
Young Lives vs Cancer
Z2K
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