Today, Demos launches a new report, The Carers’ Covenant, which calls for a radical new settlement between the state and informal carers.
The rise of informal carers is one of the biggest demographic shifts in recent British history. We estimate there are now almost eight million informal carers in the UK. This makes the informal care economy equivalent to £139 billion – more than seven times the UK’s total annual spend on adult social care.
But as our new research finds, government policy has failed to keep pace with these changes, leaving too many carers without the support they need. Our report sets out a radical overhaul of current policy, including the introduction of a new Universal Carer’s Income for all carers providing more than 35 hours a week, paid at the same rate as Jobseeker’s Allowance.
With the Government’s upcoming social care Green Paper and the potential for a shortage in social care staff post-Brexit, now is the time for a Carers’ Covenant.
Read The Carers’ Covenant here.