Unpaid carers were highlighted in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s 28 July speech on reforming social care, and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has long said family carers must be ‘front and centre’ of vital changes. Both emphasise that life for millions of unpaid carers has to improve. It’s ‘personal’ for them – both have family experience of caring – and vital for effective functioning of health and social systems and for resolving deep-seated economic issues.
The policy briefing argues that unpaid carers and their organisations must be central to social care reform. Drawing on the history of the carers’ movement, it shows how carers’ organisations have raised awareness, influenced policy and developed practical solutions in the UK and internationally.
With the Casey Review and “Big Conversation” underway, their lived experience, expertise and proven approaches offer valuable lessons for building a fairer, more sustainable social care system.
Sue Yeandle OBE is Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield. She has advised policy makers on care policy issues for many years and was honoured for her research on care and carers in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025.
Carers’ Organisations and Their Impact by Sue Yeandle is available to read open access on Bristol University Press Digital or available to buy for £90.00 from Policy Press here.
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