
Researchers have warned that shrinking support services for people with complex needs being cared for by family members could lead to higher levels of carer harm.
The findings have been published in the British Journal of Social Work and have been conducted in partnership with Family Carers Ireland.
The focus of the research is on carer harm by the person they are caring for.
Interviewees included carers of people with dementia and autism.
According to Family Carers Ireland, there are up to half a million family carers in Ireland, including 67,000 between the ages of 10 and 17 years old.
The charity estimates that family carers provide up to 19 million unpaid care hours per week.
The study, which featured interviews with family carers, concluded: “There are increasing numbers of people with complex needs being supported by family carers in Ireland and many other countries.
“There are also shrinking welfare resources with fewer carers and people with care and support needs gaining access to services.
It is a perfect storm: one of the consequences of the storm is higher levels of carer harm.”
The authors of the report wrote: “We conclude that a range of intersecting enforceable legal rights would help to ensure that carers are better protected.
“These rights would include the right to an assessment of need for both the carer and the child or adult with care and support needs, as well as a statutory entitlement to services that the assessment identifies for both parties.
“Proactive support from a social worker could go some way to addressing the challenges, putting in place a range of supports that prevent harm, reduce risk, and meet the needs of all family members.”
‘Limitless’ expectations of carers
The authors also said that there were “limitless societal and state expectations of carers” which are a primary cause of carer harm.
The article continued: “Regarding services and social work, we call for a jigsaw of interrelated issues to be addressed.
“There is a primary need to develop and commit to policies to better protect and support carers including enforceable rights and accessible and dependable services for carers and their relative(s).”
The study was funded by the Irish Research Council’s New Foundations Award.
The researchers include representatives from UCD’s School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice; the Royal College of Surgeons; the School of Sociology, Social Policy & Social Research at the University of Kent; the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems at UCD, and an independent health policy analyst.