Carers and National Government – influencing and

changing decisions

24th May 2012

Who is Carers UK

Carers UK is:

• Organisation of carers, run by carers for carers

• Started in 1965 by carers

• Carers always involved in getting change from Government

• Carers UK working in partnership with organisations like Action for Carers

Carers making a difference

Lynda Wisbach

•Talked to us about her situation

•Led to survey of carers about emergencies

•Survey found lack of response

•Lynda became campaign “pin up”

•Presented information and her story to Government

•Did media interviews

•Changed our world - £25 million and a change in attitude

What can you do?• Letter writing – your situation – asking for

change• Constituency meetings with MP• Councillors as well as MPs• Telling your story• Contributing to research and surveys• Using social media

Telling your story

Telling your story

• Power of the story• Anonymously• Publicly• Helps to understand and to illustrate change• Your experience sets you apart• You back up our statistics• Positive stories of support also change opinion• MPs like to draw on local experiences in debate

Social media making a difference

• Twitter, Facebook, Carers UK’s Carers Forum

• Carers Forum – over 3,000 users. Supportive environment. Used for discussion.

• Facebook – over 7,000 likes

• Twitter – over 9,300 followers

• You Tube – brings public into carers lives

Social media and carers

Social media

• Brought ordinary carers to the centre of attention – Rosemary O’Neill from Carer Watch and Carers UK member.

• Facebook – quick discussions on issues that matter that take the temperature of discussion.

• Fed into the media, into parliamentary debates, for lead spokespeople, etc.

Social media

• Twitter – who understands it?• Who has done it?• Does it make a difference?• Follow your MP• Follow Carers UK • Tweet from this event at #carecantwait

and @Carersuk• Don’t know where it will all develop

Fundraising

Promoting our research

Campaigns

Media

Conversation with professionals and opinion formers

Feed

Impact

#CostofCaring (December 2011)• Carers Rights Day twitter campaign – tweeting

about the financial impact of caring• Carers UK ‘trended’ as one of the top ten most

talked about topics in the UK.

#CareCantWait (May 2012)• 1,496 tweets across three days from 670 tweeters • Reaching 350,000 people

Carers message to Government

Petitions, letter writing, email

• Petitions – good way to engage individuals• Letter writing – the personal story stands

you apart from general mass emails• Emails too, telling your story is more

powerful• Councillors make an important contribution• MPs get a lot of contact about trees, fish,

the countryside and now pasties• Carers World Radio

What is Carers UK campaigning on?

• Better funding settlement for social care – Care and Support Alliance

• Stop the cuts to benefits for carers – improve them instead – Hardest Hit campaign

• Health for Carers Week #carersweek

Where to look

• @Carersuk

• Facebook – Carers UK

• www.carersuk.org

• www.carewelluk.org