Words by Smiley Team
Even before the pandemic, funding pressures and the closure of many services, meant many people were spending more time caring for a family member. Since the onset of Covid-19 this has worsened. In a vital move to improve the situation, independent funding organisation Pears Foundation and the government have jointly awarded £1 million to the Carers Trust. The funds will help thousands of exhausted, unpaid carers, offering them much-needed respite from their round-the-clock caring roles.
Going to two thousand carers, the funding will cover replacement care till the end of March 2021. It will also pay for longer-term assistance for these unpaid workers, including training for volunteers to offer online and telephone support, as well as counselling services and food box deliveries.
The Pears Foundation is a long-term funder of the Carers Trust, assisting unpaid carers across the UK. Part of the £1m also came from The Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, through the government’s Community Match Challenge, a programme to assist organisations tackling the impact of Covid-19.
Director of Fundraising and Communications at the Carers Trust, Svetlana Kirov, said: “This funding partnership shows how the government and the voluntary sector can come together to form effective partnerships to address the very real challenges and pressures experienced by some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in society.”
Significantly worsening burnout among unpaid carers, the pandemic has made assistance for these workers more urgent than ever. If those looking after relatives are able to continue effectively, they need paid careworkers to step in occassionally so they can have time to attend to their own well-being.
The Carers Trust raises awareness about the valuable work of these unpaid workers, often neglected by society, and campaigns to support them in collaboration with politicians.
If you’d be interested to further this important cause you can contribute via their donations page. By spending £15 you could cover the costs of activity sessions for a carer in one of the Carers Trust’s centres. With a regular donation of just £3 a month you can help run group meetings for young carers, giving them a break from their intensive care roles and an opportunity to socialise with others in similar positions to them.
