Local authority support for unpaid carers in England

Carer’s assessments

Under the Care Act 2014, unpaid adult carers caring for another adult are entitled to a local authority assessment of their support needs. Where a carer is found to have needs that meet national eligibility criteria, the local authority has a duty to meet those needs. This may be through support provided directly to the carer or via help provided to the person being cared for – for example, respite care.

Similarly, a local authority has a duty under the Children Act 1989 to carry out an assessment if it considers that a parent carer of a disabled child may have support needs, or if a parent carer requests one. Following an assessment, the local authority must decide whether the parent has needs for support and, if so, whether those needs could be met by services provided under section 17 of the Children Act 1989.

Since 2015, young carers have had the same right to an assessment of their needs as parent carers of disabled children. As well as deciding if the young carer has needs that can be met by services provided under the Children Act, the assessment must consider whether it is appropriate for the child to be providing care considering their own needs.

Government policy Carers strategy

In June 2008, the then Labour government published a ten-year national carers strategy.

In March 2016, the previous government launched a call for evidence on what should be included in a planned new carers strategy for England. However, the government subsequently decided against publishing a standalone carers strategy (PDF), planning instead to include carers in a then expected green paper on adult social reform. It did, however, publish a carer’s action plan for the period 2018 to 2020.

Prior to the 2024 general election, the then shadow minister for social care said there would “be a carers strategy under the next Labour Government.” However, the current government has not committed to developing a carers strategy and has said support for unpaid carers will be considered as part of wider reform of adult social care.

Unpaid carers and adult social care reform

In December 2021, the then government published a white paper on adult social care reform: People at the Heart of Care. This said the government would “build on the foundations of the carers action plan” and set out several specific commitments, including £25 million to work with the sector to “kick start a change in the services provided to support unpaid carers.” This funding was provided as part of the Accelerated Reform Fund for adult social care, worth £20 million in 2023/24 and £22.6 million in 2024/25.

The Labour Party’s manifesto for the 2024 general election did not specifically refer to unpaid carers. However, it did set out a commitment to undertake a long-term programme of reform to create a National Care Service, underpinned by national standards and based on a principle of supporting people to live independently for as long as possible.

In January 2025, the government announced it had appointed Baroness Louise Casey to chair an independent commission on adult social care to make recommendations on how to “rebuild the adult social care system to meet the current and future needs of the population.” The terms of reference for the review were published on 2 May. The commission is expected to report on medium-term reform in 2026 and on longer-term reform by 2028.

Children’s social care reform

As part of proposed reforms to children’s social care, published in February 2023, the previous government set out plans to launch a ‘Families First for Children Pathfinder’ programme in up to 12 local areas in England.

The strategy said the pathfinders would test a new family help service, which would provide “intensive multi-disciplinary support” to families facing significant challenges in a non-stigmatising way.” It added that the pathfinders would test how to tailor the support provided to different children and families, including young carers.

There are 10 pathfinders currently operating, with interim findings expected around spring 2025.

At the 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, the current government provided around £500 million of funding to support, among other things, the national implementation of family help reforms through a Families First Partnership Programme.