The 6 – 12 June is Carers Week, 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.
“Making caring visible, valued and supported” is the theme this year:
- caring should be valued and respected by everyone in our society
- carers should have access to the information and support they need, where and when they need it
Carers Week also helps people who do not think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff who are unpaid carers and recognise your important role.
There are an estimated carers in the UK and many within our University have parenting or caring roles through birth parenting, adoption, fostering, step-parenting and grandparenting or caring for relatives who are elderly or have health needs or disabilities.
This Carers Week, why not get involved in one of the events taking place. Events like these can be an important source of peer support.
Events taking place this Carers Week
- Join a Virtual drop-in session on 7 June 12:00 鈥� 14:00, organised jointly by the Parents’ and Carers’ Network at the University, Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Constabulary. To book a place please email diversity@soton.ac.uk
- Join our Parents’ and Carers’ 鈥楲ets Talk鈥� online panel event on 9 June 12:30 – 13.30. Panel members will be talking about their lived experiences of parenting and caring. This online event will be hosted by Dr Marion Penn, Deputy EDI Lead for Faculty of Social Sciences, and panels members will be sharing their lived experiences of parenting and caring at this informal event. To book a place please email diversity@soton.ac.uk
Support and Resources
- UoS Parents’ and Carers’ Network
- University flexible working information and guidance
- Andover Mind offer a for all carers
- Princess Royal Trust for Carers provides a
- Carers Together operates a
- supports young people with significant caring responsibilities
- Connect to Support Hampshire has a wide range of for carers and for the people they support
