Supporting Older Co-Resident Carers of Older People – The Impact of Care Act Implementation in Four Local Authorities in England

Abstract

The Care Act 2014 provides for ‘parity of esteem’ between people with social care needs and carers. This is achieved by extending the principles of prevention and wellbeing to carers; reinforcing carers’ right to an assessment; and setting national eligibility criteria for access to carer support services. This article reports on research that examined the impact of these changes on older co-resident carers of older people in four English local authorities. Findings are described in relation to four key themes: organisational arrangements and rationale; the aims of carer support and preventative services; design and delivery of carer assessment; and barriers to assessment and support. The findings of the research suggest that, despite the new statutory requirements, underlying contradictions and tensions in local authorities’ relationship with carers, and efforts to support them, remain unresolved.

Factors Impacting User Engagement in Reablement: A Qualitative Study of User, Family Member and Practitioners’ Views

“… 81–84 Thus, whilst family-centered approaches are stipulated in UK national policy, 85 it has been argued that they have received insufficient attention from local authorities responsible for social care delivery. 30 , 86 …”

Applying a dyadic outcomes approach to supporting older carers and care‐recipients: A qualitative study of social care professionals in England

“…There is increasing recognition of the needs of older carers, as well as the importance of supporting care dyads (i.e. people with care needs and their carers, individually and together) to improve QoL outcomes (Henwood et al, 2018 ; Larkin et al, 2019 ; O'Rourke et al, 2021 ), even if there are gaps in the existing evidence base (Zhang et al, 2022 ). In this study, we sought to explore social care professionals' views of the needs of older carers and the potential benefits, challenges and barriers to applying a ‘dyadic QoL outcomes’ approach with older caring dyads.…”

“…As most older carers are embedded in a lifelong relationship and tend to share a home and daily life, care‐related QoL needs/outcomes tend to be intertwined, with the QoL of one member influenced by, and influencing, the QoL of the other (Rand et al, 2017 ). A shift to viewing the carer and care‐recipient as a ‘unit’ may have particular resonance for older caring dyads (Lloyd, 2019 ; O'Rourke et al, 2021 ). This was the starting point for the research reported in this paper, which involved interviews with social care professionals in England to explore their views on: (1) addressing needs and supporting the QoL of older carers; and (2) the acceptability and potential benefits, challenges and barriers of applying a dyadic QoL outcomes approach in practice.…”

How does Carer’s Allowance in the UK construct family carers? History and recent developments

“…Social care legislation currently applicable in the UK's four nations -the Care Act 2014 (England), the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Carers and Direct Payments Act 2002 (Northern Ireland) -recognises carers and defines them in wider ways than in the rules for Carer's Allowance. This legislation has cast carers as 'rights bearers', entitled to an assessment of their own needs and, potentially, to publicly funded services -though, in practice, financial pressures on local authorities have meant that carers have often found that little support is available (see, for example, Feeley, 2021;O'Rourke et al, 2021).…”