Carers Strategy Refresh
Updated: 4 days ago
Help shape the future of support for carers in Worcestershire
Worcestershire’s All-Age Carers Strategy is being refreshed, and we want to hear directly from unpaid carers about their experiences, what is working well and what could be improved.
The refreshed strategy will help shape the priorities for supporting unpaid carers across Worcestershire from 2027–2032. Whether you are an adult carer, parent carer, young carer or young adult carer, your experience can help make sure the strategy reflects what matters to carers.
Is this survey for you?
You may be a carer without realising it.
If you regularly look after a family member, partner, neighbour or friend who could not cope without you, you are a carer and you are entitled to support.
We welcome you to help shape that support because your views and experiences matter.
Have your say
The survey is already available for carers to complete and will remain open until 30 September 2026. The survey takes around 15–20 minutes to complete and gives carers an opportunity to share their experiences and views.
We are also arranging two focus groups to give carers the opportunity to have a more detailed conversation about their experiences:
Online focus group: Thursday 17 September, 1.00pm–2.30pm, via Microsoft Teams
In-person focus group: Tuesday 22 September, 10.00am–11.30am, at The Hive in Worcestershire (Sawmill Cl, The Butts, Worcester WR1 3PD)
To register your interest, please contact carer voice - carervoice@carersandcommunities.org.uk
What will the focus groups be about?
The focus groups will provide a safe space for carers to talk about what matters to them and what they would like to see reflected in the refreshed strategy.
The discussions will explore four key areas:
Being recognised and valued – Do carers feel listened to, respected and recognised by services and others? What would make carers feel more valued?
Having a life of your own – What helps carers maintain relationships, work, education, hobbies and time away from their caring role? What makes this difficult?
Being supported to stay mentally and physically well – What support helps carers look after their wellbeing? What challenges do carers face in maintaining their physical and mental health, and what would make the biggest difference?
Staying safe and caring safely – Do carers have the information, training, equipment and support they need to feel confident and safe in their caring role?
We’ll also look at some wider questions about how easy it is to find help and support, whether services work well together, and whether there are particular groups of carers who find it harder to access information, support or services.
Most importantly, we’ll be asking carers what the three most important priorities should be for the strategy over the next three years, and what is the one thing the strategy must get right.
Your experience matters
You don't need to have had a positive or negative experience to take part. We want to hear a range of views about what is working well, where there are challenges and what could make a real difference to carers in the future.
The more carers who take part, the better we can understand the different experiences of caring across Worcestershire and make sure the refreshed strategy reflects the needs and priorities of carers.
If you are an unpaid carer, please take the opportunity to have your say and share the survey or focus group information with other carers who may be interested in getting involved.
Want to get involved?
To book a place on one of the focus groups, or to share any feedback about the Carers Strategy Refresh, please contact the Carer Voice team.
If you’d like more opportunities to share your voice and experiences and help shape services for carers, our Carer Voice Online Memberships are a great way to get involved.
We have a Worcestershire-wide membership for people in all unpaid caring roles, as well as a Learning Disability Carer Voice membership for those supporting someone with a learning disability. Membership is free and email-based, giving you regular opportunities to share your views and get involved in surveys, consultations and other pieces of work whenever you choose. If you’d like to find out more or join, please get in touch.
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