Support for unpaid carers: the working carers’ passport

An unpaid carer is anyone who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without support (Carers Trust, 2020a). The population worldwide is ageing, as people are living for longer, despite ill health. As the population ages, the number of unpaid carers is set to increase as well (Carers Trust, 2020b). This, combined with changes in retirement age, means the demographic of unpaid carers is also altering; people will be working until much later in life and juggling work commitments while caring for others for longer (Carers UK, 2019).

The Universities of Sheffield and Birmingham analysed data from 2001 to 2018 and highlighted that almost two-thirds (65%) of today's UK adults will care for family and friends at some point during their life (Carers UK, 2019). This research also revealed that the average person has a 50:50 chance of caring for someone by the time they are 50 years old, which is long before they reach retirement age (at present, 66 years).