Improving community care assessment and support for black and minority ethnic carers

Researchers: David Hepworth

Funder: Sir Halley Stewart Trust

Duration: July 2001 to February 2002

A two-year project was funded by the Department of Health into the outcomes of carers legislation (Carers’ Needs and the Carers Act, Arksey, Hepworth and Qureshi, 2000). This contributed to a concern to improve the position of black and minority ethnic carers, many of whom were clearly disadvantaged and socially excluded. During 2000, the researcher held consultative workshops in two Northwest authorities, bringing together staff of statutory and independent social and health services and carers’ representatives. The findings and recommendations of these studies were reported to the local authorities for local inter-agency action to improve the access of black and minority ethnic carers to assessment and support.

Certain carer assessment measures were tested and developed in the original Carers’ Needs and the Carers Act study, using carer assessment forms (CADI/CASI) created by Nolan, Grant and Keady (Assessing the needs of family carers, 1998). The appeal of these particular measures was that they addressed the carer’s perceptions of the satisfactions of caring and their coping mechanisms not simply difficulties faced by carers. These carer assessment tools had proved effective for research and work with white British families, but had not been tested or used appropriately with black and minority ethnic carers. It had not be possible to address this during the access to assessment studies because of time and funding. The application of CADI (Carers Assessment of Difficulties Index) and CASI (Carers Assessment of Satisfactions Index) with black and minority ethnic carers is a main focus of this further study.

Aims and objectives

The general aims are to address the relevance to black and minority ethnic carers of the carer assessment measures and, through their use, to seek greater understanding of the difficulties and satisfactions of caring as perceived by them. How do the difficulties and satisfactions compare between white and non-white minority carers? Are there issues which require a distinct and separate understanding? To what extent should the carer assessment measures and procedures be tailored to meet the distinct needs and circumstances of minority ethnic carers?

Research methods

A purposeful sample of non-white minority ethnic carers will be identified through contact with statutory services and support organisations. Direct contact will be established with an element of the larger sample to invite their participation in structured interviews and completion of the carer assessment measures. The involvement of first-language advisors and interpreters and documents translated into minority first languages have been arranged as a support as required. The interviews and shared completion of the carer assessment will be supplemented by the use of forms as postal questionnaires with a wider sample of carers, contacted through carers support groups and local minority ethnic organisations.

The study is being undertaken in liaison with social services and other local agencies in the two Northwest local authorities and the Carers National Association North of England Office.

Publications

Show Abstract...

2005

Asian carers' perceptions of care assessment and support in the community, 2005
Hepworth, D., British Journal of Social Work, 35, 3, 337-53.

2003

Assessment and support for South Asian carers, 2003
Hepworth, D., Research Works, Social Policy Research Unit.

2002

Improving Assessment and Support for South Asian Carers, 2002
Hepworth, D., Social Policy Research Unit.

Further publications

Research Works 2003 Gujarati translation (47KB)
Research Works 2003 Urdu translation (155KB)

If you require further information about the project, please contact SPRU's Information Office