Key points

How many carers are receiving support to help with their caring roles, and how many are not?

• 47% of carers told us they had received some support for unpaid caring in the last 12 months.
• 38% had not received support but did not need any.
• 15% had not received support but felt they needed it.
• In total, approximately 6 in every 10 carers (62%) reported that they needed or received support for their caring roles.
• Reports of needing or receiving support were highest among carers who provided over 20 hours of care per week (68%-69%).

Of the carers who needed support, who received some, and what kind did they receive?

• Looking just at the carers who told us that they needed support for caring,  76% reported receiving some support and 24% reported they did not receive any support. 
• Carers who delivered the lowest number of caring hours per week (up to 19 hours per week) were least likely to tell us that they had not received any support despite needing it (21%).  
• However, carers who delivered the lowest number of caring hours per week (up to 19 hours) were most likely to be receiving support that was entirely informal in nature (50%).
• Male and female carers reported receiving support at similar rates (73%-75%) and also reported receiving different types of support at similar rates.
• Carers who lived in the most deprived areas (SIMD1) were most likely to report not having received any support despite needing it (32%) and, along with those living in SIMD2, were least likely to report receiving all types of formal support (SIMD1: 23%; SIMD2: 26%)
• Carers in the young to middle age groups (25-54) were most likely to tell us that they had not received any support despite needing it (31%-37%).
• Carers who identified as white were least likely to tell us that they had not received any support despite needing it (25%) and most likely to tell us that they had received support that included formal support (30%).
• Disabled carers were most likely to tell us they did not receive any support despite needing it (32%) and least likely to report receiving  formal support (25%).

How do carers’ experiences vary by the support they receive?

• Receiving formal support is strongly associated with positive outcomes in terms of feeling supported to continue caring. Around half of carers who received formal support (49%) agreed that they felt supported to continue caring, compared to 33% of those who had only received informal support for caring and 31% of those who told us that they did not need support.
• Carers who received formal support were also much more likely to agree that they had “a say in how services are provided” to the person they care for.