Carer organisations: in-person support that makes a real difference

Across the UK, there are organisations supporting people caring for someone providing practical, emotional, and social support tailored to the places where we live. These community services are rooted in our local areas so they understand the unique challenges we face day to day. From information on benefits, respite, and local discounts, to support groups and local charity organisations - they can offer trusted support that makes a real difference to our lives.

By reaching out and staying connected with these organisations, we not only gain access to help when we need it, but also become part of a wider community of carers. That sense of belonging, understanding, and visibility is what can help turn isolation into a place of feeling more recognised and supported. We might also discover local discounts or other support that could make a real difference to us and the person we look after.

What community-based carer organisations offer

Community-based carer organisations provide face-to-face, telephone and sometimes online support, often based around what is available in the place we live. They understand the specific challenges we may face in our local area - such as longer travel times to reach healthcare, fewer transport options, or a lack of respite services. Because of this, their help can be highly personal and relevant.

They can provide:

• Practical guidance: From helping us fill in benefit applications or navigate systems such as adult social care, to signposting us to local respite services, these organisations make it easier to access support and understand processes that can otherwise feel overwhelming. Having someone who understands both the national picture and the local landscape can make a real difference.

• Local discounts or grants: These organisations can connect us to locally available grants, or special discounts for carers. This might be a one off payment towards a wheelchair or other mobility need, free gym membership, discounted local days out for us and the person we look after, or something completely different.

• Finding respite: Respite can sometimes be hard to find and navigate. Our local organisation can share the options available to us, and may even be able to help organise it on our behalf. 

• Completing carer’s assessments: Sometimes our local organisation is able to undertake a carer’s assessment to see what support might be available to us and the person we look after. But even if they are not able to do it directly, they can answer questions and provide guidance throughout the assessment process. 

• Emotional support: Many organisations either offer, or can point us to other services or organisations who run drop-in sessions, counselling, or support groups. These spaces give us the chance to share openly with people who truly understand what caring feels like - which can feel like a weight off our chest. 

• Advocacy and rights: Carer organisations often speak up on behalf of carers in their area, making sure our needs are heard by decision-makers. This might involve campaigning for better services, challenging funding cuts, or raising awareness of hidden caring roles in the community.

• Opportunities to connect: Whether through coffee mornings, places we can volunteer at, social events, or workshops, they provide opportunities for us to meet other carers nearby. These small moments of connection can make a huge difference to our wellbeing.

A carer from the Mobilise community put it perfectly:

“I’ve really just been learning the significance of my local carers centre. I thought it was worth sharing in case there’s others out there who, like me, thought the carers centres were a kind of ‘nice to have’. Optional not essential. People who were nice to us, who opened doors and gave us signposts to people and things that could help us. Whereas although they ARE all of that, they actually have a much more significant part to play in us being able to get access to help that we need (like, increased carer visits, respite support, etc.)”

Behind all of this, many of these organisations are run or staffed by people who have caring experience themselves. That lived understanding helps them meet us with empathy and understanding. 

How to find the right organisation for us

The types of support these organisations can offer does vary greatly depending on the area we live in. There may also be one or several organisations that can support us. Some specialise in certain areas, such as carers of people with specific conditions, or young carers. Others provide a wide range of services for anyone with a caring role. If we want to learn more we can always give our local organisation a call and chat to a friendly human who can tell us more about how they can help.

A good starting point are the tools from Carers UK and Carers Trust, which both list organisations across the UK. It is worth checking both though, as they list different organisations. It’s also worth asking our GP surgery, local council, or even other carers if they know of services in the area.

Even if we don’t feel we need support right now, it’s worth getting in touch with our local organisation. We might be able to register online with them, or sign up for email updates about the things happening in our area. Caring situations can change quickly, and knowing where to turn before a crisis happens can make everything feel more manageable.

“Great you have found a local carers centre. Some local authorities seem to really invest in centres.”

Why staying connected matters

Even if we’re not actively using support right now, keeping in touch with carer organisations has benefits for all of us.

When we stay visible:

• We know all the support available to us: There might be initiatives such as local discounts for fitness or other classes, condition specific support, or financial support for mobility essentials. Services and entitlements can also change regularly. By staying connected, we make sure we know about opportunities or benefits available to us. 

• Carer’s rights: Why it may not always feel that way, we do have rights as carers. These are legal rights, such as ‘the right to choose’, that carer organisations can help us to understand and advocate for.  

• We can build local connections: Caring organisations can help connect us with other local carers, groups, local services, or charity organisations in the area. It can feel hugely supportive to find a support network who understand what we are juggling day to day. 

• We can help to shape services: Our feedback helps organisations and councils understand what carers really need. The more we stay connected, the more powerful our collective voice becomes. This is especially important when funding decisions are made or when carer support is at risk.

“I’d say if you’re not registered with your local carers centre, do consider registering. Even if you don’t feel you need them now, you may be grateful they’re there for you at some point down the track.”

As seasoned carer and mental health advocate Matthew McKenzie explored in his Mobilise:LIVE session on ‘How to feel seen and heard as a carer’, making ourselves visible isn’t just about accessing support (although that is a key benefit). It’s about making sure we’re counted, recognised, and respected.

How digital support fits in

Alongside community-based organisations, digital support is an essential part of the picture. 

Digital support can give us:

• Flexibility: We can access resources when it suits us, whether that’s at 3pm during a quiet moment, or 3am when we’re awake with worry.

• Anonymity: Sometimes we just want to dip in, read an article, or listen to a webinar without a face-to-face meeting. 

• A wider community: While local organisations can connect us to carers nearby who will understand the quirks of support in our local areas, digital platforms connect us to people across the UK. It can be reassuring to know that others, even hundreds of miles away, are facing similar challenges.

• Tools and resources: From benefit guides to online events we can join from our sofa, digital services can give us practical help that fits around our lives. 

• High quality information: Sometimes we need an answer to something outside of conventional working hours, or just need it quickly. Digital support can give us access to a large range of trusted information at our finger tips. 

By no means should digital support replace the tailored, face-to-face support offered in our local areas, but it does give us that added layer of help. Together, community-based and digital support make sure we always have somewhere to turn, whenever we need it.

Taking the next step

If you’ve spoken to your local organisation before but it’s been a while, now is the perfect time to reconnect. Services evolve, and our caring situations may have shifted too. We deserve to know what’s available to us. And if we never have, now might be the perfect opportunity to see what’s available.

There are a number of ways to connect with our local support organisation. We could register on their website, sign up to receive emails from them which will keep us in the loop, pop along to our local event, or give them a call for a chat with a friendly human. Every small step helps us feel less alone in our caring journey.