Carers Week Reflections on Building Carer Friendly Communities
As the Social Impact Lead at Bridgit, Carers Week is always one of the most inspiring weeks in my calendar. This year’s theme, Building Carer Friendly Communities, could not have been more relevant.
It was a chance to hear directly from carers, charities, health and care professionals, and community organisations. It also showed what is working, what is challenging and what still needs to change.
Most of all, it reminded me that carer support works best when it feels early, simple, connected and human.
Why Building Carer Friendly Communities matters
One of the first sessions I attended was focussed on Young Carers and expertly hosted by Manchester City Council.
As a Mum of 2 young boys I am always blown away with the fact that there are on average two young carers in every classroom, many who are yet to be identified.
That fact always stays with me. Because behind it are children and young people who may be quietly managing responsibilities many adults would find difficult.
The message was clear. We need to identify and support young carers earlier, before they reach crisis point.
Schools, services and communities all have a role to play. However, this only works when people know what to look for and where to turn next..
Across the week, I joined sessions from a fantastic range of organisations. These included Carers Trust, Carers UK, Dementia UK, Cruse Bereavement Support, Macmillan Cancer Support, Relate, Charity for Civil Servants, AADHD, NHS England, Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, Camden Council, Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust and many others.
Each session brought a different perspective. But the same message kept coming through. Carers need to be seen sooner, listened to properly and supported in ways that fit real life
What the sessions highlighted
A standout session from Camden Council explored Family and Group Conferencing.
It looked at the importance of involving carers, families and wider networks in care planning from the start. It reinforced something simple but powerful: better care starts with better conversations.
That matters because carers often hold vital knowledge about the person they support. They understand routines, risks, preferences and what works day to day.
Another highlight was hearing from Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust.
They shared how their Carers’ Clinical Liaison Service supports carers through hospital discharge and the transition back into community life.
It was a powerful reminder that carers need to be recognised as partners, not afterthoughts.
I was particularly interested in discussions around neighbourhood health services, led by Carers UK and NHS England.
The message was clear. Unpaid carers sit at the heart of our communities. They must be recognised as essential partners in delivering neighbourhood-based care.
This is especially important when services are trying to work more locally. If carers are central to community life, they need to be central to planning too.
The emotional reality of caring
Sessions from Dementia UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cruse Bereavement Support and Relate highlighted the emotional complexity of caring.
Carers may be supporting someone through cognitive decline, cancer, bereavement or changing family relationships.
So, support needs to recognise both the practical and emotional realities of their role.
It is not only about appointments, forms or care plans. It is also about worry, grief, changing relationships and the pressure of holding everything together.
I also attended an interesting session exploring support for male carers, neurodivergent carers and preventing burnout, led by organisations including AADHD and partners.
These conversations reinforced an important point. There is no single carer experience.
That means support needs to be flexible enough to meet people where they are. It also needs to feel relevant to different lives, needs and identities.
My biggest takeaway from Carers Week
Towards the end of the week, Dorset NHS Foundation Trust shared their work helping GP practices identify and support unpaid carers through better data and recording systems.
It reinforced a theme that came up repeatedly throughout the week: we can’t support carers if we don’t know who they are.
My biggest takeaway?
Carer support needs to be:
- Earlier – identifying carers before they reach crisis
- Simpler – making support easy to find and access
- More connected – bringing services and communities together
- More human – recognising the person behind every caring role
- More preventative – helping carers stay well themselves
At Bridgit, we are passionate about helping organisations identify and support carers sooner.
Carers Week reminded me just how much great work is already happening across the sector. However, it also showed how much opportunity there is to join things up and go further.
Because if we want truly carer-friendly communities, carers need to be visible, valued and supported every day of the year, not just during Carers Week.