The call for a National Carers Strategy was adopted by the Labour Party as a recent manifesto commitment.
The Campaign
Campaigning for a National Carers Strategy for unpaid carers, We Care Campaign is a grassroots volunteer led start up to see unpaid carers valued, run by unpaid carers, for carers. We Care was founded by Katy Styles, an unpaid carer to her husband and mother.
The campaign has created opportunities for unpaid carers to get their voices heard since 2018. Politicians from across parties have expressed support for the campaign.
During the election We Care ran the successful digital “Sticking Plaster” campaign which encouraged carers and carers groups to engage with their MP candidates. Carers were encouraged to share their stories of caring, encouraged to vote and ask questions at hustings events.
Locally, We Care used events to identify individual carers and build on a sense of community. Individual carers are often isolated and creating a sense of community was a target in itself. Individual carers used activities through a ladder of engagement as well as empowering carers to use the resources as their own. Online tools and resources were included so carers knew who to engage with and resources gave them confidence to engage with MP candidates and help was always just a message away for those that asked.
The Change
The call for a National Carers Strategy was adopted by the Labour Party as a recent manifesto commitment. Additionally, through the “Sticking Plaster” campaign We Care has come to the attention of larger NGOs and is working with Oxfam GB on their work on poverty and unpaid carers.
The Future
We Care’s work has never been more vital. There are more unpaid carers than ever before, more carers’ rights being eroded away and more unpaid carers with little support. We Care Campaign continue to push for carers’ voices to be heard by decision makers and for a National Carers Strategy.
Advice
Be responsive and take up opportunities digitally, you have to be prepared in advance, while also using every free digital resource to help your community grow in confidence using them.
Also, value every single contribution to a campaign and thank supporters in a personal way. And – have fun!
Who else was involved?
We Care Campaign is run by a core team of volunteers. These are: Katy Styles @WillowKaty https://twitter.com/WillowKaty; Alice Fuller @AliceFuller https://twitter.com/AliceFuller; Rachael Martin-Smith @rachaelannems https://twitter.com/rachaelannems; Elizabeth Mistry @ElizabethMistry https://twitter.com/ElizabethMistry; Helen Deakin @hmdeakin https://twitter.com/hmdeakin
We would also like to recognise the contributions of the following carers: Lynn Williams @Carer49; Mark Watson @HubDorset; Holly Bunty @hollybunty; Jenny Reeves @Purplepetal
