Zibiah Loakthar, Our Cuimhne Coordinator writes:
Carers UK have shared with our Cuimhne team their recently published research report on the experiences of Black, Asian and ethnic minority carers during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report is based on three surveys conducted:
Caring behind closed doors: 3 – 14 April 2020
Caring behind closed doors, six months on: 11 – 28 September 2020
State of Caring: 2 August – 13 September 2021
Based on this research, Carers UK’s recommendation include:
The importance of recording data on carers’ ethnicity to identify need.
The report argues that "Services that work with carers should routinely record detailed data on ethnicity so that the needs and outcomes of different groups of carers can be identified. Carers strategies, at a local or national level, should include consideration of the impact of caring on people from different ethnicities."
The importance of providing culturally tailored support services, using the expertise of voluntary and community groups.
The report asserts that "Information, advice and guidance needs to be available in a range of community languages, and proactively targeted at carers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Frontline professionals, such as GPs, play a central role in ensuring carers are identified, and it is vital they provide advice and guidance to carers, including those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds who may not be aware of the support services that are available. The role of voluntary and community sector organisations led from within minority ethnic communities should be fully appreciated, and these organisations should be adequately resourced to ensure they can reach carers who are not in touch with mainstream services".
Welcome
These two recommendations are particularly welcomed by our Irish in Britain Cuimhne team. They will very likely resonate with many in our Irish in Britain network. We know that sometimes the cultural needs of people from Irish backgrounds may be neglected because of an assumption that they are the same as those of the local community. Asking carers about how they self-identify can help to make visible people’s Irish cultural connections and related cultural needs.
Irish voluntary and community organisations are often very well placed to reach carers who may not always engage with other mainstream services. However, the valuable role such groups can play may be overlooked by funders and policy makers who sometimes assume a hierarchy of public health professionals over voluntary sector workers. Voluntary and charity sector organisations not only may provide important health and wellbeing services themselves but can also help connect community members with mainstream support services.
Voluntary and community groups are often able to share cultural expertise and can advise and support mainstream organisations to develop greater cultural awareness and sensitivity. There is often great willingness of community groups to play this role and people may offer their expertise for free.
However, there are also challenges around the resourcing of time from an already over-stretched voluntary sector. It takes time to facilitate a training session but also to reach across to groups from other sectors, build a relationship and set up the session in the first place. Thist can eat into the time a busy organisation needs to deliver other direct frontline services.
Our Cuimhne team also particularly welcomes the recommendation that there is a need to “identify the specific needs of different groups through further research” and to “identify the specific needs of different communities, and to hear from carers in communities that are less likely to engage with services or respond to consultations, such as the Gypsy and Traveller community, and the refugee and asylum seeker community, and those living in remote, rural, and island communities”.
Carers UK recognises the limitations to their research findings because of the small sample size, participants are broadly categorised as:
White British
White Other
Asian / Asian British
Black / Black British
Mixed or multiple ethnic background
Over 88 percent of respondents in all three surveys identified as “White British”.
Our Cuimhne team would welcome further research drawing upon responses from people from diverse communities and a more granular breakdown of ethnicity to include “Irish” to highlight diversity and complexity of people’s experiences. Further research would be great to enable a more thorough understanding of the experiences of minority ethnic carers during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
What now?
The findings of this Carers UK report may be useful to cite when organisations are making funding applications to develop culturally tailored support services.
The report may be of use too where we may be seeking to influence changes in the policy and practice and procedures of mainstream health and social care providers with whom we engage.
Prior to the publication of this report, research has already shown that carers are more likely to live in poverty, experience greater isolation and loneliness and suffer worsening health due to their caring role.
The pandemic has exacerbated many of these challenges. Carers UK highlights that carers “from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are more likely to be living in poverty”.
It is clear that the challenges for carers are not evenly experienced across carers of different minoritised ethnic backgrounds. There are real social justice and equality issues for our groups and networks to speak up on and champion.
Our Cuimhne team encourages people to contribute views and experiences so that organisations such as Carers UK can draw upon as wide a range of backgrounds as possible.
To share views and experiences with Carers UK, contact policy@carersuk.org
You may also be interested to register for Carers UK State of Caring online conference on 10 November where the report will be discussed.