Unpaid carers receive new £22.6 million funding boost from ARF

The Government has announced a £22.6 million funding allocation that aims to improve the lives of unpaid carers. This includes new ways to identify and recognise unpaid carers and better support services in hospitals.

Money will be released next week through the Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) to support successful schemes run by local authorities. ARF initiatives will also include digitising carers’ assessments so that they are easier to access and giving carers much-needed breaks and greater flexibility.

ARF is designed to support innovation in adult social care and has provided a total of £42.6 million in grant funding over 2023 to 2024 (£20 million) and 2024 to 2025 (£22.6 million).

ARF funding for carers was expected in August

The money was supposed to have been delivered in August and some carers charities were worried it would be lost through the change in government. There had been concern over projects which have already recruited staff and signed contracts in the expectation that the second round of funding would come.

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said, “Unpaid carers are the country’s unsung heroes. They provide invaluable support to vulnerable people every day. It is vital they too have the support they need so they can look after their own health and wellbeing. This funding will allow local authorities to harness the full potential of technology to give carers more flexibility and help with these crucial roles.”

The ARF is also supporting some areas in the country to scale up community-based care models. These enshrine ‘home first’ principles that enable people to live independently for longer, such as through the Shared Lives service, which matches people with care needs with approved carers who share their homes.

Remote monitoring of people with care needs at night

Initiatives that are being rolled out across the country include:

• in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, local authorities are rolling out technology to enable remote monitoring of people with care needs at night. This helps provide greater flexibility for unpaid carers and more independence for people with care needs
• Worcestershire is deploying video technology to support carers when people are discharged from hospital to allow remote monitoring from healthcare workers, reducing the risk of re-admission
• in Lincolnshire, local authorities are developing a workshop programme of arts, heritage and nature activities for unpaid carers and people with care needs, namely sessions in painting, floral art and printing. They work with unpaid carers to shape the programme with activities of their choice and they are supported with respite care and transport to ensure that unpaid carers can attend the sessions to have a break
• in London, local authorities have set up a Think Carer campaign to help people to recognise themselves as carers and provide additional support through introducing health and lifestyle checks and carers’ counselling services
• Medway Council and Kent County Council are in the early stages of digitising self-assessments so unpaid carers can easily find the information, advice and guidance that they need to make their lives easier. They have also published an employer carers toolkit for local businesses supporting carers in their workforce

Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive at Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), said: “SCIE is excited to be delivering the ARF support programme to participating local authorities. Nearly 70% of the local projects address the needs of unpaid carers. Others are using innovation to drive greater productivity and to improve people’s care experiences. We expect the learnings from the programme to generate insights about how to scale and spread innovation within social care.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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