Sheffield’s new Adult Partnership Board was established on 30 April to work collaboratively to transform local social care, and in choosing its areas of focus, it was recognised that unpaid carers are essential but often overlooked.
The Board was formed to find “better outcomes” by pooling resources, not just money but “people power,” according to Coun Angela Argenzio, chair of the Adult Health and Social Care Committee.
The board includes Sheffield City council, health organisations and the University of Sheffield.
“We can’t do everything ourselves as a council, it’s not something that is owned by Sheffield Council, it’s a partnership board.
“When you work in partnership, you have to be very honest with each other. The council doesn’t have all the answers, the council doesn’t have all the money,” Argenzio said. “So we need to look—how can we resolve something? It’s really hard. It’s a challenge. How can we do this?”
One of the key areas of focus is unpaid care support. Argenzio pointed out that she thinks this is the most urgent part: “It’s very important to recognize that care and unpaid carers are an integral part of providing care.”
Unpaid carers are those people who look after family members, neighbours, friends, and often they don’t even realise that they’re providing care. “It even takes an unpaid carer about two years to realise that they’re a carer.” Cllr Angela added.
She emphasised the systemic dependence on such informal support. “Without unpaid carers in the country, basically, the system of care would be overwhelmed, so it’s extremely important that we support unpaid carers as much as possible.” she said.
With care needs rising and central government funding decreasing, Sheffield hopes this multi-agency model can lead to more efficient solutions and more inclusive service planning. The partnership wants to do something different to what they’ve done before.
Unpaid care is one of four strategic focus areas identified by the Board, alongside preventative care, workforce planning, and sustainable service delivery.
By working together across sectors, Sheffield’s care partners hope to turn shared responsibility into lasting improvements for those who need support most.