Carers Trust is a major charity for, with and about carers. They work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems. They do this with a UK wide network of quality assured independent partners (like Carers Leeds).

Carers Trust wants to involve unpaid carers more meaningfully in its work. Carers Trust sees this as important to strengthening the authenticity of its work and ensuring that what they do truly reflects what carers need. Carers Trust is working with another charity called New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) to help us develop a shared and consistent approach to the involvement and participation of unpaid carers across Carers Trust at an organisational level.

Carers Trust would like to invite carers (aged 18 or over) to an online session on Wednesday 27th October 9.30-1pm. Carers Trust staff and carers will build options for Carers Trust’s approach, aims, principles, and possible processes and practices for carer involvement. They will also aim to come to a shared understanding of what Carers Trust and carers are trying to achieve together and build a sense of ownership of the emerging approach. During the session they will seek to:

  • Agree the intended outcomes of involvement and the vision
  • Explore and agreeing key principles of user involvement at Carers Trust
  • Explore different processes and practices across Carers Trust (where carers could be involved, pros and cons of different options and trade-offs to consider, and support needed to enable changes and how to ensure the greatest benefit for carers in participating)
  • Explore how gradual changes and progress could be planned over 1, 3 and 5 years, as the organisation learns about what works well and less well for carers and staff.

The session will not lead to final decisions about the approach – however, it will explore different options and their pros and cons, which can then be analysed and used to decide on the approach in subsequent phases and into 2022.

What to expect from the workshop: the session is designed to be very interactive with two NPC staff facilitating. There will be discussions, individual work and work in groups, and all members of the group will be encouraged to play an active role and will have the chance to contribute their views.

​Please note that your responses will remain anonymous and not be attributed to individuals. No names will be included in the written output. Your participation is voluntary. This means you can choose whether or not to participate in the session and take breaks or withdraw at any time during the course of the session.

What happens after the workshops? Carers Trust will keep in touch with you and let you know what happens next.

If you are interested in attending, please complete the form to register via the button below.