Introduction
This strategy has been developed in partnership and with commitment from the following organisations, and with carers and former carers as equal partners.
- City of York Council
- York Carers Centre
- York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Parent Carer Forum York
- Dementia Forward
- Alzheimer’s Society
- Age UK York
- Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust (TEWV)
- Healthwatch York
We value their contribution and dedication to improving carer support in York.
The quotes used in this strategy are from local carers who responded to a 2025 survey (unless we have stated otherwise).
Read more about:
- Strategy overview
- Our shared vision
- Our approach: Dignity, respect and lived experience
- Who is a carer?
- Carers in York
- Our focus areas
- Taking the strategy forward
- Further information and support
- Alternative formats
Foreword
Until you take on the role of carer you can not possibly fully comprehend the magnitude of caring and its impact on your life.
Caring is a part of life for many people in York. Around one in three of us will provide unpaid care at some point. This is often alongside work, education, family life, or managing our own health and wellbeing.
Carers play a vital role in supporting people and strengthening our communities. Yet their contribution can too often go unrecognised or unsupported.
This Carers Strategy sets out our shared commitment to improving the lives of unpaid carers in York. It is shaped by carers’ experiences, local evidence, and partnership working. It sets out four focus areas where we will concentrate our efforts. Alongside this are clear arrangements for how we intend to oversee this strategy to ensure we monitor progress and act on what we learn.
We recognise that caring can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging, isolating, and financially and emotionally demanding. This strategy is about making York a place where carers are recognised, supported, and able to live well alongside caring. Our support aims to respect carers’ individual identities, choices, and experiences.
By working together, with carers as equal partners, support in York will be more accessible, responsive, and inclusive.
I am proud to support this Carers Strategy, which recognises the vital role played by unpaid carers in our city. We know that things are incredibly hard for carers, and this strategy represents a step forward in ensuring that carers are not only recognised, but also properly supported, valued, and empowered across the city. I look forward to working together with other organisations, to turn these commitments into real change for carers in our area.
Sharron Smith - CEO York Carers Centre.