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SOCIAL CARE
Building Carer Awareness in Social Care and within the Local Authority
What does this mean?
A Carer friendly community across Social Care is one that upholds and promotes Carers’ Rights and Entitlements, their health and wellbeing, ability to work, time off, education and learning, and a life outside of caring.
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It is a community that actively involves unpaid Carers, listens to them and treats them as Partners in Care.  
Everyone involved in social care can make a difference – whether that's local authorities, health and care trusts, care services, social care professionals, or carers’ support services.
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​​By working collaboratively to provide timely information, accessible assessments, practical support, and preventative services, these organisations can reduce pressure on Carers and help sustain their wellbeing.
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Through proactive outreach, inclusive service design, and partnership working, they play a key role in raising awareness and reducing isolation. They help to create local systems where Carers are valued as equal partners in care and supported to live well.
Why is it important? 
Unpaid Carers provide the bulk of all care, whether paid or unpaid, in the UK.
The value of Carers’ support is £184 billion a year, [1] far in excess of spending on formal social care across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 
However, shortages in social care services and poor-quality provision mean that Carers are not getting sufficient support, leading to more stress and fewer opportunities to take a break.
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62% of those who are currently providing or those who have previously provided unpaid care said that they had no choice in taking on the role because no other care options were available. [2]
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Over three quarters (76%) of Adult Social Care Directors have seen an increase in the number of unpaid Carers approaching their council for support in the past year. [3]
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1.7 million people in the UK are now providing 50 or more hours of care per week. [3]
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Over half (52%) of Carers said the number of hours they spend caring has increased over the last 12 months. [4]
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Only 23% of Carers had a Carer’s Assessment in the last 12 months, while 42% of Carers who’d had an assessment said their Local Authority had not supported them after the assessment. [5]
How can this be done?  
Social care services, local authorities, local carers organisations and support services, and care providers can build carer friendly communities by working together to recognise and identify Carers, reduce pressures, and create accessible, coordinated support.
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​Ways to do this include:
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Identifying and recognising Carers early – by embedding Carer identification across health and social care pathways, ensuring carers are routinely offered assessments, and promoting self-referral routes so they can access help before reaching crisis.
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Providing timely, coordinated support – offering clear information, advice, and navigation services; joining up statutory and voluntary sector support so Carers experience a simple, seamless system.
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Delivering practical and preventative services – ensuring access to respite, short breaks, equipment, home adaptations, and replacement care, alongside emotional and peer support, to sustain Carers’ wellbeing.
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Designing services around Carers’ lives – using ‘whole family’ approaches, involving Carers in co-production, offering flexible appointment times and formats, and tailoring support to different groups such as Young Carers, Working Carers, and Older Carers.
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Leading local awareness and culture change – running public campaigns, training frontline staff, and working with community partners (schools, employers, housing, health) to normalise caring and promote inclusive, Carer friendly practice.
Resources
The Carers Partnership has developed a resource for health and social care professionals in England covering many different practice areas to support unpaid carers. Find out more here.
REFERENCES
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Petrillo, M., Zhang, J., and Bennett, M.R. (2024) Valuing Carers 2021/2022: the value of unpaid care in the UK. London: Carers UK.
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Carers Week (2024) No choice but to care
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ADASS (2025) 2025 Spring Survey
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ONS (2023) Unpaid care, England and Wales: Census 2021
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Carers UK (2025) State of Caring 2025: The cost of caring
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Carers UK (2025) State of Caring: The impact of caring on carers’ mental health and the need for support from social care services
Wirral Council - Support for Carers
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Most Carers need some time off. Having a break from caring will help you maintain your own health and wellbeing, have time for a social life or do something that you value that’s important to you.
The person you care for may benefit from a break from the regular routine too. There may be family or friends that would be prepared to take over your caring responsibilities to enable you to take a break – so don’t be afraid to ask those around you to support you in your caring role.
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Most support services are provided by independent, voluntary or third sector providers who receive funding from Wirral Council. Some of these free services can be accessed directly without the need for a social services assessment.
However, access to some other services requires an assessment to see if you are eligible for support.
Where a Young Carer is likely to have needs upon reaching the age of 18 – thus moving from Children's Services to Adult Services - they are also entitled to a Carers Assessment.
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The types of support that require an assessment include:
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Residential short breaks (respite)
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Care in the home
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Day care
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Wirral Council aims to help residents with caring responsibilities so they can maintain some independence and balance in their own life.
This support could be:
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Information and advice about support that is available
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Referral to carer support services in the community
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Personal budget or grant to help meet some of your own needs
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If the cared for is eligible for support and they agree to receive it, the following services could be offered:
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Help in the home for the person in need of care
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Support centre or activity for the cared for person to go to during the day
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Short breaks for the person being cared for away from the home
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Personal budget to buy services for loved ones needing care support​
