The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Encyclopedia
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers was created on the initiative of HRH The Princess Royal
in 1991. At that time people caring at home for family members or friends with disabilities and chronic illnesses were scarcely recognised as requiring support.
The Trust is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 144 independently managed Carers' Centres, 85 young carers services and interactive websites, The Trust currently provides quality information, advice and support services to over 400,000 carers, including around 25,000 young carers. In recognition of its work for the welfare and development of young people, the Trust is now a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
A carer is someone, who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness
, addiction
or disability. The term carer should not be confused with a care worker, or care assistant, who receives payment for looking after someone.
A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person, which would normally be taken by an adult.
Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age.
Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend, just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.
Carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it – if they did not do it, who would and what would happen to the person they care for?
In addition, the country is becoming increasingly reliant on carers to deliver the new style of care for people with long term conditions, such as the home based and patient led care outlined in the Health White Paper, Our health, Our care, Our say. The new policy drive for home based, individually tailored care must include a focus on carers to avoid care packages collapsing when an unpaid family carer cannot carry on. Even without the increases in quality the government wishes, the costs of care for older people will double by 2020.
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in 1991. At that time people caring at home for family members or friends with disabilities and chronic illnesses were scarcely recognised as requiring support.
The Trust is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 144 independently managed Carers' Centres, 85 young carers services and interactive websites, The Trust currently provides quality information, advice and support services to over 400,000 carers, including around 25,000 young carers. In recognition of its work for the welfare and development of young people, the Trust is now a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS).
Who are carers?
The UK government definition of 'carer' is: "A carer spends a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to family or potentially friends. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems".A carer is someone, who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
or disability. The term carer should not be confused with a care worker, or care assistant, who receives payment for looking after someone.
A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person, which would normally be taken by an adult.
Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age.
Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend, just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.
Carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it – if they did not do it, who would and what would happen to the person they care for?
Context
The number of carers in increasing as the population ages and people with disabilities and serious illnesses live longer and are more likely to live at home. Over the next three decades, the number of carers will increase by around 60% or 3.4 million carers.In addition, the country is becoming increasingly reliant on carers to deliver the new style of care for people with long term conditions, such as the home based and patient led care outlined in the Health White Paper, Our health, Our care, Our say. The new policy drive for home based, individually tailored care must include a focus on carers to avoid care packages collapsing when an unpaid family carer cannot carry on. Even without the increases in quality the government wishes, the costs of care for older people will double by 2020.
See also
- Anne, Princess RoyalAnne, Princess RoyalPrincess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
- CaregiverCaregiverCaregiver may refer to:* Caregiver or carer - an unpaid person who cares for someone requiring support due to a disability, frailty, mental health problem, learning disability or old age...
- Department of Health (United Kingdom)Department of Health (United Kingdom)The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
- Department for Work and PensionsDepartment for Work and PensionsThe Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
- Department for Children, Schools and FamiliesDepartment for Children, Schools and FamiliesThe Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...