Index
Text reads - Warrington Carers Strategy 2025 - 2028, three images are shown, one of two women smiling and walking down the street, the other of two men walking and chatting to each other, the last image is of an older women with a child and they are pushing a pram

Introduction 

The Warrington Carers Strategy for 2025 – 2028 sets out our shared duties and responsibilities to unpaid carers in Warrington. It outlines our commitments and priorities to ensure that carers are listened to, valued and supported. 

The strategy is aimed at all unpaid carers across the town, regardless of age, background or type of caring role. It is also for all those that support or meet carers as part of their work / role. 

“We are greatly appreciative of carers of all ages in Warrington in the role they fulfil in supporting others,” Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, cabinet member for statutory health and adult social care and chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Comprehensive engagement has been crucial to the development of this strategy. This is to ensure that carer voices have shaped the strategy so we can focus on what is important to them in their caring role. 

Warrington Carers Partnership Board has strategic responsibility for overseeing the delivery of this strategy. This board promotes the interests and wellbeing of carers in Warrington, and members include representation from independent carers in Warrington, the council and partners from carers services and health, community, faith and social enterprises. 

The strategy focuses on: 

  • What carers have told us matters to them
  • How we will deliver on the commitments and priorities identified in this strategy
  • How we will know if we have made a difference

What we know about carers

Local, regional and national data has been used to develop the strategy.

Local Warrington data highlights:

  • 9.5% of the population provide unpaid care
  • We have a proportionally higher number of carers providing 19 hours or less care per week than the national and regional average - 4.9% (9,837) of the population compared with the Northwest at 4.5% and England at 4.4%
  • In line with national and regional trends, predominantly carers in Warrington are female, although from aged 80+ years the majority of carers are male

Regional data highlights:

  • 40% of carers – many of them caring for more than 50 hours a week - said that they had given up work to provide unpaid care. 22% had reduced their working hours because of their caring role
  • More than a quarter of unpaid carers reported having bad or very bad mental health, rising to 31% of those caring for more than 50 hours a week, or for caring for over 10 years
  • 79% feel stressed or anxious, 49% feel depressed, and 50% feel lonely
  • 30% of carers are struggling to make ends meet
  • 60% of carers were worried about the impact of caring responsibilities on their finances and 62% have been finding it more difficult to manage financially due to the increase in the cost of living

National data on unpaid carers highlights:

  • There are an estimated 5.7 million unpaid carers across the UK. This means that around 9% of people are providing unpaid care. However, Carers UK research estimates the number of unpaid carers could be as high as 10.6 million
  • On average, 600 people a day leave work to care
  • One in seven people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work and unpaid care
Image of two women sitting at a table and talking to each other, one woman has back to camera while other woman is facing camera

What carers have told us

We undertook extensive carer engagement in June and July 2024 with more than 900 carers. A carers survey was completed with over 110 responses along with partner feedback to inform the development and priorities within the strategy.

Some of the things that carers said get in the way

  • Services aren't joined up
  • Navigating the system
  • Care costs and being a self-funder - a 'self-funder' is someone who pays the full cost of their own care and support, with contracts delivered between the individual and the care provider directly.
  • The general cost of living
  • Lack of respite provision and difficulty arranging respite
  • Juggling caring roles
  • Lack of individualised support and accessibility of groups
  • Lack of transport
  • Not knowing what information they need or what information or help is available.

Some of the things that carers said help them and we should continue to do:

  • There are various carers groups on offer in Warrington, some are for the carer alone and some are for the carer and the cared for to attend. Both are very warmly received, and carers say these make a real difference to them
  • The services provided by Warrington Carers Hub and the Carers Support Team at the council are very beneficial and they have helped carers particularly at times of transition or crisis
  • Carers report that the information and guidance available for carers is getting better and more carers know where to go to get the information
  • Carers informed us about the difference having a carer Direct Payment has made to enable them to have a break

Some of the things that carers said would help them

  • More understanding and recognition of their lives and what they are doing, including the diversity of their roles and the difference they make – ‘seeing me as the expert that I am’
  • Accessible, flexible and responsive services
  • Having clear and consistent information and advice to support carers and the person / or people they care for. This includes directing carers to what financial help is available and having specialist advice and training to help carers to continue their caring role
  • Joined up services that communicate with each other
  • Having specific support for working parent carers
  • Developing support that can respond quickly to a crisis or near breakdown
  • Better access to mental health support and counselling for me that understands my life and role as a carer
  • Different types of respite and breaks
  • Up to date information on what support and groups are available locally

Our commitments

These commitments run through the purpose and aim of the strategy and inform how we will deliver our priorities and promises. 

All partners have agreed to:

  • Ensure that carers are acknowledged as expert partners in care and their skills and knowledge are both valued and utilised
  • Ensure that all carers have a voice that is heard, and carers help shape and design services which matter to them and the person they care for
  • Acknowledge the contribution that carers make as well as the impact that caring has on their health and wellbeing
  • Ensure that carers have access to the right support, at the right time, to support both their physical health and mental wellbeing
  • Recognise difference in carers and caring roles, which can be influenced by age, gender, locality, economic factors etc.
  • Promote awareness and good practice in the identification of carers
  • Work together to ensure that carers feel valued and empowered
  • Remain committed to better understanding who Warrington’s carers are and reaching out to those we don’t know
  • Commit to a range of actions detailed in the Delivery Plan which sets out how we will deliver our Commitments and Priorities set out in this strategy.

Why have a strategy?

There are various acts of Parliament, legislation and associated local strategies in relation to carers, that require health, social care, the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprises sector and employers within the town to comply with. 

Some examples of these include: 

The Care Act 2014, The Children and Families Act 2014, The NHS Long Term Plan 2019, The Equality Act 2010, ‘Living Well in Warrington’ –Warrington’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2024 – 2028, Warrington and Halton Hospitals (WHH) Strategy 2023 – 2025 and Warrington’s Dementia Strategy 2024 – 2028. 

This strategy pulls together all the elements around carers from those strategies and legislation into this one central carer specific strategy.

Graphic of a person

Priority One - Identification and Recognition

A key message was that people didn’t see themselves as carers, and that other people didn’t understand the impact that caring has on their lives. This priority sets out how we will aim to develop and improve carer identification and recognition.

By ‘identification’ we mean people start to identify that they are carers when they are carrying out an unpaid role caring and / or supporting a family member or friend. This include a person who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction would not be able to cope without the support of an unpaid carer.

We also mean the wider community and professionals identifying when people are caring and/or supporting a family member or friend and helping to ensure that those individuals realise that they are carers, and as such have rights and support available to support them.

By ‘recognition’ we mean acknowledging and appreciating that caring can sometimes be difficult and / or overwhelming, but can also provide positive choice and role. It is vital that partners recognise the contribution that carers make and the impact it can have. We need to identify and recognise that in some cases the caring role can place a great strain on carers, and we need to ensure that this is identified early to enable help and support to be put in place to reduce this. It is also important to recognise and understand the impact on the cared for. 

Priority One “I” statements

  • I feel that what I do as a carer is recognised, understood and valued
  • I am listened to and considered as part of the team planning care for the person I care for.
  • I have someone I can contact if I am under pressure
Graphic of two hands shaking

Priority Two - Accessible and joined up services

This priority area covers the difficulties that carers told us about the ease or not of finding their way to help for the first time and then ongoing.

By ‘accessibility’ we are referring to carers being able to contact services easily, having more choice and services local to where people live.

We also mean professionals recognising difference and ensuring that their services are accessible for all carers.

‘Joined up services’ is referring to when people may need support from different organisations in their own right and / or for the cared for person. Navigating the system and having to repeat things over again or provide duplicate information time and again were regularly reported.

Many carers pointed out a lack of carer aware or sensitive service provision, which made them less accessible, for example limited access to respite and mental health support.

Carers also reported once they had been referred from one service to another and were not kept informed about the processes and / or expected waiting times and sometimes were unsure about whether the next step had been taken or not.

Priority Two “I” statements

  • I can get good quality information and advice, which is relevant to me when I need it
  • I know where to get help from when I need it including when things go wrong
  • I have the opportunity to have a break from my caring role and have choice and control over the type of break I receive
  • I am assured that the person I care will be well looked after when I do a get break
  • I am supported right through my caring journey and it is recognised that during times of transition I may need extra support
  • I am satisfied with the support that the person I care for receives
Graphic of two people stood side by side, one person has their hand over the other's shoulder

Priority Three - Supporting Carers

We recognise and value the vital contribution that carers make and will ensure that we provide different types of support that make a practical and positive difference to help carers.

‘Supporting carers’ means improving on the range and scale of support currently on offer.

Each carer has their own unique and individual circumstances and there needs to be a range of different types of support available. It is important that carers feel comfortable to have a break knowing that the cared for person is settled, happy and safe. We will review what breaks are available and whether these are meeting needs in the way that carers are reporting.

It is particularly important that we support carers during times of transition. This includes supporting children who are carers as they become adults. Responding to people as their life changes is essential, for example people caring for someone who may be end of life and carers who are no longer directly caring due to bereavement or a change of circumstances. We will review the current pathways into support and look at where these can be improved and can be more flexible. This will include pathways for young carers, young carers transitioning to adulthood, young adult carers and parent carers.

Priority Three “I” statements

  • I am supported to look after my own health and wellbeing
  • I get to have a break and some time for myself, and am able to keep in touch with friends and family
  • I am able to balance caring with my education and / or work
  • I am supported well when my life or circumstances change
  • I feel supported when my caring role changes or ends
  • I have support that means I am protected from inappropriate caring
Two men walking along the seafront, one is walking with a cane, they are walking and linking arms.

Delivery plan 

A detailed Delivery Plan sits alongside this strategy to guide the implementation of the commitments and priorities. This plan will serve as a roadmap, detailing specific actions, responsibilities, and timelines to achieve the strategy’s priorities.

Get in touch with us if you'd like further information about the strategy or the Delivery Plan and how we are progressing. 

More information

3 October 2025