The Carer Poverty Coalition was formed in February 2023 and is made up of
100 national and local organisations - including Sheffield Carers Centre

Collectively, we are campaigning to:
1: End poverty amongst carers by advocating for policy change that adequately values, recognises and supports unpaid carers
2: Reform the benefits system to better support carers financially in the short and long term
3: Bring in better systems to support carers to continue with paid work
4: Build awareness of carer poverty and the impact of the cost of living crisis on unpaid carers with Government, parliamentarians, decision makers and the general public

Read the 'Open Letter' sent to the Chancellor by the Coalition on 15 November 2023 >>>

Every day across the UK, the work of unpaid carers helps hold society together – an invisible network of support, empathy and care for those who need it most.

However, providing care to family and friends limits the carers' ability to earn a full income, and adds extra costs that they would not otherwise have. Too often, due to a lack of recognition and support, unpaid carers end up falling into poverty or find themselves in precarious financial positions as a result of their caring role.

This is particularly true of carers who care for more than 35 hours a week and those who provide unpaid care over longer periods of time. Financial difficulties also have a significant impact on carers’ physical and mental health, often increasing their own need for treatment, support and services in order to cope.

There is a clear moral as well as economic argument for supporting unpaid carers to live on a decent level of income and for supporting those able to continue with paid work whilst caring. Better support for carers to stay in work has clear benefits to the wider economy by improving productivity and reducing unemployment.

The value of unpaid care was estimated at £530 million per day and £193 billion per year during the pandemic (Details at Carers UK, Unseen and Undervalued 2020 >>>)