
Shine a Light on Care: Listening to Parents and Carers Report
The “Shine a Light on Care: Listening to Parents and Carers” research engaged more than 250 women across Bristol to develop practical solutions for those caring for children, elderly relatives, and Disabled family members
The report was launched in Autumn 2025 with an event attended by carers and local and regional decision-makers on 23 September. Representatives from the Bristol City Council (BCC) and the education sector made several commitments to continue working towards a robust, resilient, and inclusive care infrastructure.
What were the commitments?
Commitments were put forward by representatives from the BCC, the University of Bristol, and other attendees.
The University of Bristol
The University will continue to produce research and design policies that support carer:
- Provide adequate breaks
- Expand on-site nursery capacity
- Continue offering flexible and blended working arrangements
- Redress disparities in line management
- Produce more research to understand the distinct needs of carers at the University
BCC
Embedding the caring economy across the Council:
- In 2025, the Council has published a new Economy Strategy which includes a new commitment to addressing the challenges that care sector workers face in terms of pay, conditions and training. Prioritising the caring economy will be part of its approach to local wealth building.
- The council has also published the All Age Carers Strategy in which we set out three key priorities: Early identification, recognition, respecting and valuing of children, young people and adults who are in caring roles.
- BCC is currently in the process of developing the action plan to underpin the strategy, the working group will be chaired by Bristol Carers Voice (an organisation focused on involving carers in a systematic and meaningful way to give them a real voice and recognise their expertise).
- In addition, the council’s new SEND and Inclusion Strategy, published in January 2025, speaks to the particular challenges that parent carers face when it comes to caring for a child with special educational needs and disabilities.
Summary of BCC action against specific recommendations made in the Report:
Recommendation | Response from Council |
Invest in training and career progression for early years workers |
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Increase training and pay for care workers to improve retention, job satisfaction, and the continuity of care provided to individuals and families |
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Improve access to information about financial support for carers |
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Commission targeted outreach to identify and engage carers who may not be accessing existing support |
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Fund carer support organisations to deliver financial advice and practical assistance tailored to carers’ needs |
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Provide tailored financial guidance for parents, helping them navigate and access available financial support schemes |
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Fund and commission accessible and affordable legal advice for carers |
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Expand access to inclusive services such as after-school clubs and trusted care activities, particularly for children with SEND and other vulnerable groups |
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Invest in care services that provide regular breaks for carers, including both short-term and extended respite options |
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Continue and expand funding for local support groups for parents and carers, particularly those with specific caregiving needs – such as parents of children with SEND, elderly carers, young carers, and those supporting individuals with complex health conditions |
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Improve the transition from children’s to adult services |
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Explicitly recognise the intersectional and gendered nature of care across adult social care and funding strategies |
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Attendees
- ‘I will continue to ensure carers are seen, heard, and supported in the workplace and increase provision for mental health’.
- ‘Caring is a protected characteristic – please protect us!’
- ‘As a nursery school in Bristol, we will continue supporting our families to access the support they need and to raise the issues and challenges they tell us about or we encounter to the local authority and national partners’.
- Bath Spa Uni: committed to do all we can to support with students, staff, and communities in this space and building our research and advocacy for carers/ care experienced.
- Thank you for raising our voice – it can be a lonely experience. Empathy is going to be and always is so important.
- Bristol Women in Business Charter can hold employer-carer events to help careers/ job opportunities/ return to work
- PCS Women supporting women across Bristol
- I will do everything for positive change for carers in my role as principle social worker/ adult care lead for carers.
- Next year, pension age will be up to 67 years. This will save 10 billion on the state pension bill. 77 billion was saved by increasing women’s pension age to make pension age to 65 years. Social care services were cut. There is money.
- City of Bristol College: Support understanding of the offer for 16-25 for transitional education; Support carers to have a break/ self-care –hair/beauty; Bring carers and young carer voice into college to support care-informed practice; take back employer learning to the HR policies
