New Report Highlights Urgent Need to Address Poverty Among Unpaid Carers in Wales
New Report Highlights Urgent Need to Address Poverty Among Unpaid Carers in Wales
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A new report released by WPI Economics, in collaboration with Carers Wales and
funded by the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, has revealed the alarming extent of
poverty among unpaid carers in Wales. The findings highlight that 26% of unpaid carers in Wales live in poverty, with 9% experiencing deep poverty—figures significantly higher than the non-carer population.
The report, Poverty and Financial Hardship of Unpaid Carers in Wales, provides a
comprehensive analysis of the factors driving financial hardship among the 311,000
unpaid carers in Wales, who provide vital care to family members and friends. Despite
their essential role, many of these carers struggle with low incomes, high housing costs, and inadequate social security support.
Key findings from the report include:
• High Poverty Rates: Unpaid carers in Wales are significantly more likely to live in
poverty than the general population, with 26% living in poverty compared to 20%
of non-carers.
• Impact of Caring on Employment: Many carers are forced to reduce their working
hours or leave employment entirely due to their caring responsibilities,
exacerbating their financial difficulties.
• High Housing Costs: Unaffordable housing remains a major concern for carers,
contributing to the financial pressures they face and forcing them to live in
unsuitable homes.
In response to these findings, the report outlines several urgent policy
recommendations for the Welsh Government, including:
1. Creation of an Action Plan: Development of an Action and Implementation Plan
to address the gaps between the rhetoric of the Social Services and Well-being
(Wales) Act 2014 and the reality faced by unpaid carers.
2. Funding Certainty: Long-term funding commitments for the Carers Support Fund
and the Short Breaks Fund beyond 2025.
3. Enhanced Housing Support: Introduction of more robust housing support
measures for unpaid carers, including the inclusion of carers as a priority group
in homelessness prevention efforts.
Carers Wales Press Office The report also calls on the Welsh Government to advocate for reforms at the UK Government level, including a review of Carer’s Allowance and other social security benefits to ensure they provide adequate support for carers.
Rob Simkins, Head of Policy and Public Affairs of Carers Wales said: “The findings of
this report clearly show the need for urgent action. Unpaid carers in Wales provide
invaluable care, often at great cost to their own health and wellbeing, as well as their
own finances. Research shows that in Wales alone, the care provided by Wales’s
unpaid carers saves the state over £10 billion per year and has a huge impact on the
wellbeing of the people they provide care for. It is essential that both the Welsh and UK Governments, as well as local authorities across Wales, take swift and decisive action to better support unpaid carers.”
Vivienne Jackson, Programme Manager at abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, said: “The
care system would collapse without the vital people who provide unpaid care. It’s not
right that those who provide essential services to some of the most vulnerable people in our society are living in poverty. Government and employers need to work together to help lift carers out of poverty.”
The report also emphasizes the critical need for increased support from NHS Wales and social services, including the development of a National Care Service for Wales within the next decade, to provide high-quality social care services that can alleviate the pressures on unpaid carers.
Chris Kemp-Philp, an unpaid carer for over 40 years, from Newport said: "This report
helps to show how so many unpaid carers in Wales, many of whom have had no choice but to become unpaid carers, are having to make sacrifices and be pushed into poverty because of their caring role. When unpaid carers do so much for the people they provide care to, as well as helping relieve the strain on local health and social care services, it's hard to believe that we're left behind with such little support and expected to just continue caring."
New Report Highlights Urgent Need to Address Poverty Among Unpaid Carers in Wales