Black & ethnic minorities

There are 500,000 Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) carers in England. This report shows that BAME carers provide more care than average. They face additional difficulties as they care, struggling with language barriers, accessing culturally appropriate services and with stereotyping around caring. This puts them at greater risk of ill health, poverty, loss of employment and social exclusion. The report analyses existing provisions and sets clear recommendations for local authorities, health and well being boards, primary care trusts and GP consortia to improve services.

The special carer grant has so far failed to live up to expectations, especially in targeting ethnic minority carers. David Hepworth outlines what more needs to be done to help these 'hidden carers'. 

This resource aims to provide practitioners working with children and families affected by ill health and disability with information, resources and links to help develop and implement best policy and practice for services to identify and support black and minority ethnic young carers and their families.

This site was originally funded by the Department of Health in order to provide an understanding of the needs of black and minority ethnic family carers and best practice support.

Background: Demographic and socioeconomic changes have increased policy interest in informal carers. However, despite the multicultural nature of British society, most research in this field has been in majority communities. Aim: To explore the role of the primary health care team (PHCT) in supporting carers from British South Asian communities. Design of study: Qualitative study. Setting: Four South Asian communities in Leicestershire and West Yorkshire. Method: Focus groups and in-depth interviews were used to assess male and female carers, supported by a literature review.

The present survey aimed to describe and compare the main needs and problems experienced by informal caregivers of Black Caribbean and White native-born patients in their last year of life. Out of the 106 Black Caribbean and 110 White patients identified as dying during the survey period, 50 interviews per ethnic group were conducted, a response rate of 47% and 45%. Out of these, 31 respondents representing Black Caribbean and 28 representing White dependants said that they bore the brunt of caregiving.

The aim of this study was not just to understand older people’s experiences of care transitions, but also to conduct the research in a way that would help to embed the findings in health and social care policy and practice.

This briefing paper draws attention to the experience of black and minority ethnic carers in the context of mainstream service provision and recent policy developments such as the National Carers Strategies, service user and carer involvement and the personalisation agenda. It acknowledges that marginalisation is often a consequence of lack of support for both carers and black and minority ethnic communities in health and social care. The paper highlights the diversity of carers from these ethnic backgrounds and the multifaceted impact of discrimination.

This is the report of a collaborative study between the Manchester Metropolitan University and the Bibini Centre for Young People to investigate the experiences, needs and access to services of black ‘young carers’ and their families. It is important to highlight that this study was situated within the social and political context of inequality, at a time when interest in the root causes of inequality seems to have been lost; instead, the focus is on ‘managing diversity’ (as if the problem lies in ‘difference’) and grappling with the consequences, not the causes, of social exclusion.

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.