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A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Published pre May 2022

This is a tag applied to all posts published before May 2022. This is because they are all using the same single post template that won’t be used on new posts going forward.

Image of the word 'Care'

Carers in Northern Ireland: Some key statistics

This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017.

The perceived underfunding of social care was a significant political issue in the 2017 general election. It is easy to forget, however, that the ‘formal’ care sector of nursing and residential homes, plus allied services, is underpinned by a much larger ‘informal’ sector of family and friends of the person being cared for. In a related article, we examined the legislation and policy framework behind this sector. Here, we review the facts and figures relating to informal carers in Northern Ireland. A detailed paper on this topic was recently published by the Research and Information Service (RaISe).

Image of the word 'Care'
Image: Patient Care Technician via Creative Commons

Read More »Carers in Northern Ireland: Some key statistics

A note with writing which reads 'Who cares about the carers?'

Supporting carers in Northern Ireland: Where are we with legislation and policy?

This article is a revised and updated version of a post originally published in June 2017.

This article outlines the contribution made by carers to supporting the formal care system and the issues they face in undertaking the caring role for family members and friends. Legislative developments across the UK are discussed as well as issues relevant to carers and how these are being addressed in Northern Ireland (NI) and beyond. A fuller briefing paper on these issues was published by RaISe in March 2016. In a related article, we examine some of the key statistics relating to the informal care sector in Northern Ireland.

A note with writing which reads 'Who cares about the carers?'

Read More »Supporting carers in Northern Ireland: Where are we with legislation and policy?