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Suffolk's HSJ Award-nominated People Project aims to empower service users and carers. Participants attend workshops on subjects including getting heard. The project has secured a new round of funding to take it through to August 2006.

Teenage carers met nurses, doctors, political and NHS leaders at London Zoo to highlight the health and social care needs of an estimated 166,000 young carers in England.

Presents views on social care among children. Overview of a 2005 report by The Education Network about young carers; Decision to be a good parent upon the acquisition of a disability; Reasons why parents should impose responsibilities on their children when they risk damaging their futures.

Carers form a substantial proportion of the patients seen by primary care professionals, but their health needs are often overlooked. By recognizing and addressing the needs of the carer as well as the patient, primary care staff (including practice, community and district nurses) can protect the physical and mental health of both. Staff can start by developing simple systems for identifying and recording both patients who are carers, and patients who have carers. Primary health professionals may be able to identify specific opportunities for checking on carers’ health, e.g.

Briefly reports on the Alzheimer's Society Lesbian and Gay Carers Network.

Care services minister Ivan Lewis has promised a consultation to update the 1999 strategy for carers. Mark Hunter considers the priority areas for action. [Introduction]

Scottish Highlands: Elizabeth Jones reports on a three-year project providing support to carers of people with dementia in remote, scattered communities in the Highlands of Scotland.

The Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project - Mecopp - provides respite care and advocacy for carers in Scotland. This article looks at how the project has expanded and why the model works.

Carers are a high-profile group in Gordon Brown’s government. Despite this, the degree to which they are considered in mainstream policies varies. Undoubtedly, some policies offer immense help to carers but others appear to be working against them.The article calls for a more cohesive policy for carers which takes into account the needs of the whole family, especially children. Young carers often miss school to look after parents, but are usually overlooked by policymakers.

The article reports on a Public Health England (PHE) scheme aimed at identifying and supporting the wellbeing of young carers in England through the help of school nurses and other public health nurses. The scheme was honoured at inaugural awards of the Academy of National Health Service (NHS) Fabulous Stuff. According to PHE lead nurse Wendy Nicholson, many carers do not speak up because they fear that they would be removed from their family homes.