By Raisha Jesmin, Communications Assistant
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 launch event brought together diverse individuals, organisations, and decision-makers, including carers, carer organisations, researchers, and representatives from BCC and the education sector.
Carers Illuminate their Raw Realities
Carers around Bristol shared their stories and experiences of caring and the dire need for change in the care infrastructure, echoing the findings from the Report.
Decision-Makers Share their Progress
A written statement from WECA was read out, highlighting the authority’s new ‘Regional Growth Strategy’, which lays down ambitious commitments towards creating accessible and affordable childcare and boosting jobs in social care.
Heather Mack, Councillor for Lockleaze and Deputy Leader, Bristol City Council, responded to the recommendations made by the Report, emphasising that the Council will embed the caring economy across its policies and strategies.
Dr Caroline McKinnonis, Deputy Head of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the University of Bristol, spoke on existing arrangements to support carers in the higher education sector and the path forward. She stressed the importance of adequate breaks, flexible working options, and ‘returning carer’ schemes for carers to re-establish their careers in research.
Going Forward: Commitments and Hope
As the event drew to a close, attendees were invited to make commitments to parents and carers on a flip chart. Some of the commitments read:
- ‘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’.
In addition, BCC and the University made some key commitments:
- The Council will address the challenges and recommendations put forward by the Report, including expanding funding and investment to improve care worker training and provide affordable and accessible legal advice, creating more tailored and inclusive care services, and co-producing care strategies and action plans with local communities and individuals.
- The University of Bristol will continue to produce research and design policies that support carers, including providing adequate breaks, flexible working arrangements, and redressing disparities in line management.
Learn more about the Caring Alliance’s Caring Economy campaign, and access the full report here.
The report launch event was featured by the BBC.
'Priceless'
By Amena Kofi @amenawrites
I originally wrote this poem as part of an exhibition by ‘Invisible Army’, an organisation that highlights the stories of unpaid carers around the UK. I wanted to write about some of the issues that unpaid carers are faced with, ranging from poverty and hostility from others, to judgement on their appearance (a lot do not have the time to make themselves look as ‘presentable’ as people without caring responsibilities) and social isolation.
‘Priceless’
the unpaid carer
is a bearer of many crosses
things that aren’t often talked about
beyond onlookers and their gossip
little to no outlets
few are really listening
and with a life so hidden
she wouldn’t know where to begin
she wouldn’t know how to explain the weak foundation of her autonomy
how to convey the reality of her standing
as a pillar on which
someone else is relying
in this world no one owes anybody anything
especially not understanding
and she knows there are those who embody that mantra precisely
when she thinks
of the potential backlash from people
forced to witness something they’ve yet to educate themselves on
it’s too risky
so there aren’t many places they can both go
in the vein of spontaneity
she stays inside, rarely venturing beyond her door
it’s not what she would have liked
but there’s so few options available
the pressure is on, and there’s little relief
not with time, not with money
it’s all consuming, this work
with barely any salary
eventually, she does manage to get a few hours to herself
temporarily untethered to the needs of someone else
with eagerness, she enters the crowd
she sees a few of them looking her up and down
she reads the words in the whites of their eyes
‘why does her hair look like that’
‘look at her clothes, doesn’t she know how to put herself together’
suddenly, the outing doesn’t have the same appeal as it once did
she feels over-exposed under the glare
of all the contemptuous gazes
it isn’t fair, she thought to herself
and she was right
all these disapproving looks
when they didn’t even know what they were seeing
they don’t know anything
about a life like this
they couldn’t even guess
yet here they were concluding
soon after, she ended up leaving
as she did, she felt like crying
laden with a longing
to tell her side of the story