Beyond we care too: putting black carers in the picture.

Following the publication of the Good Practice Guide and report “We CareToo”, by the National Black Carers and Carer Workers Network and Afiya Trust, an audit of its impact was planned. This coincided with the announcement a new National Carers Strategy and the exercise was broadened into this review of the needs and experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in Britain to complement the Government’s formal consultation. The report begins with some background, discussion of the concept of a “carer” within BME cultural communities and a review of recent developments of the policy and legislative context for caring. A further section outlines the race equality agenda and is followed by short essays from practitioners on the specific needs of a selection of care groups, identified by ‘condition’. The new data here is based on responses from 300 BME carers from across Britain, follow up visits to ‘good practice’ examples from an earlier study and the input of 36 voluntary and community organisations. Funding was the key issue in nearly all cases. Other topics raised included: the need for a strategic and ‘joined-up’ approach; information needs; the importance of the BME voluntary sector; and the need for training, information and support from ‘mainstream’ generic providers of carer support. The report concludes with a number of recommendations.