Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

The theme for Carers Week 2025 is ‘Caring About Equality’, calling for an equal society where carers are truly valued, recognised and supported. Throughout the week, organisations supporting carers will be heading out into the community to find hidden carers and raise awareness of the support available locally. They also have planned a programme of events for carers to get involved in.

Each day of Carers Week will have a specific focus and highlight the different ways inequality impacts carers’ lives:

Monday: health and social care

Carers save the economy £445 million per day; that’s £162 billion per year. The health and social care system would simply collapse without them. That’s why this Carers Week we are recognising the contributions carers make providing this support and the inequalities they face as a result. Dorset partners are committed to supporting carers together. and are hosting Carers Week activities across the county.

Tuesday: financial wellbeing

Approximately 1.2 million unpaid carers live in poverty, with 400,000 in deep poverty (more than 50% below the poverty line). This represents a poverty rate 50% higher than that of non-carers.

Wednesday: work and employment

Caring responsibilities can have a significant impact on people’s capacity to work. Many carers feel they have to reduce their working hours, with some feeling they have to give up paid work entirely to provide unpaid care. In Dorset, we recognise that carers have a range of skills, expertise, and experience and we want to retain these carers and support carers returning to work. The Carer’s Leave Act came into force one the 6 April 2024 giving working carers 5 days of unpaid leave a year: The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 | Carers UK

Thursday: younger carers

In Dorset, we have carers as young as 5 years old. Young carers may help with cooking, housework, shopping, or provide emotional support. Being a young carer can be rewarding, but sometimes caring can have an impact on the things that are important growing up, such as school, meeting friends or doing hobbies.

Friday: older carers

The pace of population ageing in the UK is much faster than in the past. Just over 1 in 10 of the older population (aged 65 and over) are carers according to the 2021 Census. As we age, sometimes we start to have our own health needs to think about. You look after someone because you care, but we must not neglect our own health. Also, making plans for the future can help you feel prepared and reduce and anxiety and concerns about what will happen if you are no longer able to continue to care.

Available to all carers in Dorset and BCP.

Bridgit is an online platform you can access 24/7. It is an interactive tool that provides advice, guidance, and information to help you in your caring role. You can build your own self-help plan online by selecting topics relevant to you. It can also connect you to key services to support and inform you about local events taking place in your community.