Help shape future plans for unpaid carers in Buckinghamshire

Feedback updated 4 Nov 2024

We asked

We asked for the views of unpaid carers of all ages and levels of responsibility, to help us understand what is important for carers on the following topics:

being a carer
about the support you receive
time away from caring
health and wellbeing
work, education and training
financial support

Face to face and online engagement activities took place including:

8 face to face engagement sessions with adult carers
2 online engagement events with adult carers
5 face to face engagement events with young carers between the ages of 5-16

Feedback from professionals and community organisations who support unpaid carers and those they care for, was also received.

The engagement ran from 22 July to 18 August 2024.

You said

We received 345 responses to the online survey.

Feedback from all carers, professionals and organisations identified the following key themes:

understanding a carers role and identifying carers
assessment and care planning process
available resources and information
communication from Adult Social Care
health and wellbeing support for carers
carers taking a break
financial support

Young carers also identified the following:

establish assessment process for young people
siloed support within schools and uncertainty around transitions between schools
support at home during school breaks

We did

We used your views feedback to create our draft All-Age Carers Strategy with 4 equally important priorities:

to provide a system that best works for carers, by joining up services and identifying carers at the earliest stage
to ensure carers can find information and advice they need easily, when they need it
to support our carers health and wellbeing, helping them to access support, meet other carers and prepare for the future
to support carers in accessing employment, to minimise the financial impact of caring

On 4 November 2024 launched a consultation on the Buckinghamshire All-Age Carers Strategy 2025 to 2030.

Overview

If you are providing unpaid care for someone in Buckinghamshire, we want to hear from you.

We recognise that carers are an essential part of our communities. We want to improve the support that is available for carers by developing an all-age carers strategy.

The strategy will explain how the council will improve the quality of life and services for carers.

A carer is anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who cannot cope without their support. Being a carer can affect your own well-being and it is important that you feel valued and have access to the help you need.

To help us understand what is important to carers we need to hear from you on the following topics:

being a carer
about the support you receive
time away from caring
health and wellbeing
work, education and training
financial support

Who we want to hear from

We want to hear from carers of all ages and levels of responsibility, whether you provide occasional support to a friend or neighbour or care for a loved one full-time.

The survey will take approximately 6 minutes to complete.

Unpaid carers in Buckinghamshire Unpaid carers in Buckinghamshire

According to census data from 2021, there are 41,773 carers in Buckinghamshire.

Out of the 41,773 carers that were identified, 14,349 are known to the Council or other partner organisations.

What is already happening? What is already happening?

Work has already started to improve the quality of life and services for carers and the development of the strategy will not delay this.

This work includes:

making it easier for carers to find helpful resources and assistance
improving how carers access health services for those they care for, ensuring a smoother process
refining the process for carers to access support from the council when appropriate

How to have your say

Tell us your views by completing the online survey using the link at the end of the page.

If you have any questions about this activity, please email us at carersstrategy@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Please tell us your views by 11:59pm on Sunday 18 August 2024.

What happens next?

Your feedback will be used to set out our plans in the form of a strategy.

You will be given an opportunity to have your say on a draft version of the strategy in winter 2024. The final version of the strategy will be presented to Cabinet for approval.

We will continue to work with carers to ensure we are delivering on our plans.

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.

Areas

All Areas

Interests

Social care
Health
Children & young people
Mental health and wellbeing

Contact