INFORMATION
Background Information
INTRODUCTION
Carers UK is a charity established in 1965 to help the millions of people who care for family or friends.
At some point in our lives every one of us will be involved in looking after an older relative, a sick friend or a disabled family member. Six million people in the UK are caring right now but whilst caring is part and parcel of life, without the right support the personal costs of caring can be high.
Caring can take its toll on your finances, your health, your career and your family and your social life. Carers can fall out of paid work and many rely on low-level benefits, forcing them into poverty.
Yet without unpaid carers our NHS would collapse and the country would face an £119 billion care bill it cannot afford. Carers are contributing so much to their communities by looking after the people they love, yet in return they face ignorance, isolation and little or no support. This has to stop. It cannot be fair that those who contribute so much are valued so little. Carers UK wants society to respect, value and support carers.
We help carers:
· get the best for the person they care for
· make the most of their income
· stay in paid work
· keep healthy
· get in touch with other carers for support
· find a listening ear
· campaign for change.
HOW WE HELP CARERS
Carers UK supports carers and provides information and advice about caring
Support from those who know - in your area and round the clock
As carers we believe we are best placed to understand the stresses and strains caring can bring. Our local branches are run by carers and offer support on the doorstep. Our website forum is a virtual support club, open 24/7, where carers can talk to other carers and get help from those who truly know how they feel.
Quality advice
Carers UK provides high quality advice and information to carers and the professionals who support carers. Our expertise comes from years of experience of dealing with the problems carers face. This is available through our website, booklets/ factsheets, local branches, nation offices and through our national telephone Adviceline.
Reaching out to carers
Twice a year, every year for the last decade, Carers UK is the driving force behind national awareness campaigns. Carers Week in June involved over 12,000 events and Carers Rights Day in November raises awareness amongst carers about their entitlements to benefits and how to get help.
Carers UK campaigns to make life better for carers
Fighting for the changes carers need
Our campaigns are based on what carers tell us they need to improve their lives. Carers tell us about the anger and frustration they feel at the constant battles to get even the bare minimum of help. This is what drives Carers UK. Our goals are suitably ambitious. We want to:
· end poverty for carers through a radical transformation of the tax and benefit system
· create a health and social care system that offers early back up and support so carers don't struggle alone
· make it possible to combine paid work and caring so people no longer have to choose between their career and the people they love.
Securing rights and entitlements
Our charity was set up by carers back in the 1960s when caring was an unrecognised problem. As society has changed so has Carers UK - promoting caring as one of the key social issues for the 21st century. Carers UK was responsible for the first ever
· legal recognition of carers
· benefit payments for carers
· local support services for carers
· workplace and employment rights for carers.
We are proud of our achievements but driven by the fact that there is still so much that needs to change.
Influencing through the media
Carers UK uses the media to reach thousands of carers and increase public understanding about caring. When our members tell their stories other carers know they are not alone. We help journalists find stories that illustrate the impact of caring on people’s lives. Each year we create millions of opportunities for people to see, read or hear about the issues facing carers and where to get help. We have worked with the major news outlets like Sky, ITV and BBC News; BBC and independent local radio as well as newspapers like the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Times, The Independent and The Guardian.
Carers UK influences policy makers, employers and service providers, to help them improve carers' lives.
Research based on carers' real life experiences
We work directly with carers to find out how caring impacts on their lives and to find solutions to the problems they face. It was Carers UK who made sure we know how many carers there are in the UK and how much they save the economy. Our work is influential because it is authoritative and evidence based.
Training and helping professionals who work with carers by sharing our knowledge and expertise
Carers UK provides training and consultancy that has helped thousands of health and social care professionals provide the very best support to carers. We have helped companies like BT and Centrica develop flexible working which enable their employees with caring responsibilities juggle work and care. Our trainers are recognised experts who are able to draw on Carers UK’s knowledge of the law, policy and best practice.
Shaping policy
Carers UK is making sure carers are at the heart of debates on areas such as work, pensions and health and social care provision. Carers UK works with elected representatives across all political parties and in all four legislatures to help them understand the issues facing carers.
Setting the agenda and leading the carers’ movement
Carers UK’s success relies on our ability to mobilise a growing number of supporters. By working in partnership, we harness the expertise of other organisations who can help to improve carers’ lives and means we are able to punch above our weight. We have set up partnerships across Europe and throughout the world to lead a growing international response to caring, now firmly a global issue.
OUR FINANCES
Carers UK had income of £3.9m in the financial year to 31 March 2012. Major funding streams include income from trusts, government grants, contracts for services, sponsorship and membership income. Carers UK was one of the beneficiaries of the ITV Text Santa appeal in December 2011 and has been selected as a beneficiary of the 2012 Appeal.
Carers UK is developing a three year business plan based on measured growth and aims to invest in new income generating activities.
The 2011/12 statutory accounts are on the website: www.carersuk.org.uk.