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In England, voluntary organisations such as the Carers Trust and Alzheimer's Society play major roles in providing practical help and support to family carers. This article draws on a large study looking at social care practice with carers to illustrate how changes in social care commissioning and cuts in funding have created difficulties for organisations such as these. It asks whether contracting policies based on competition between providers threaten collaborative campaigning and strategic alliances.

The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research published at the end of 2012 'Facts and Figures on Healthy Ageing and Long-term Care', a fact-rich briefing that can better inform your work on the European Innovation Partnership for Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA). This publication provides key up-to-date information on, amongst others:

- Demography
- Health status, risk factors and prevention
- Informal care
- Long-term care services
- Expenditure on long-term care

The Care Act has been widely welcomed. Implementation of the Act however, is far from complete. 69% of carers responding to our survey noticed no difference since its introduction and many expressed frustration and anger at the lack of support they received in their caring role. 

This report involved qualitative and quantitative research with low-income Caribbean, Pakistani and Somali people regarding their experiences and preferences in balancing work and care. Existing policy on childcare and caring doesn’t appear to respond effectively to this challenge, while employers need to do more to enable well-paid flexible working and eliminate discrimination in recruitment and progression.

Informal care remains the most important source of care for dependent older people, although there are strong country differences across Europe. Most informal carers are either of working age (mostly daughters or daughters-in-law) or older people themselves providing care to their dependent spouses. From the public budget perspective, informal care is often seen as a cost-effective way of providing care. This vision, however, fails to acknowledge the indirect costs of informal care, namely forgone employment or health for informal carers.

Pippa Kelly is a former carer and an award-winning writer on elderly care and dementia.

The term ‘personalisation’ means different things to different people but, as used both by the previous Labour and current Coalition governments, it is about tailoring services to people’s own circumstances and giving them more control over the amount and type of support they receive. This briefing looks at how personalisation can increase access to healthcare for people from black and minority ethnic communities, but also considers some of the challenges that it may bring.

This report argues for giving citizens greater control over their own health and care, so that services are redesigned around their needs and aspirations, to improve health outcomes, and to save money by supporting people better to manage their conditions themselves.

Too often, our ageing society is observed with the growing costs of health or state pensions in mind. However, the implications for families and for support provided across the generations are less well-explored, though no less radical. Drawing on new public polling as well as long-run data, this study charts how the shape of the extended family has evolved over time. It goes on to explore how the support given across the intergenerational family has changed historically and how it may alter in the future.