WELSH carers are being offered support to chase their own dreams and find themselves again with a free online course.
Research by Carers UK suggests there are more than 10 million unpaid carers in the UK with many having to take time out of their own careers to look after and support loved ones. And one Welsh man has developed an initiative to help carers rebuild their confidence, rejoin the workforce and achieve their own ambitions and goals.
Simon Phillips, founder of The Change Maker Group, created a nine-week online course called Rediscover You to help both current and former carers find themselves again so they can reach their goals. Funded by Carers Wales, the programme is free to Welsh carers and aims to help rebuild both their confidence and self-esteem.
Simon, who is the host of ‘The Change Show podcast’, said: “Some of the carers we work with may have been out of the workplace for 10, 15 or 20 years. And when their caring responsibilities come to an end, they have no idea what to do and they don’t have the confidence to go out and get a job.
“The impact of the programme is massive and we help people reconnect to the person they still are but who they have lost sight of over years of putting someone else first. Unpaid carers save the government billions every year and yet they get very little support so this is an issue that is really important to me.”
The fifth cohort of Welsh carers completed the course at the start of December and it is hoped dates for 2025 will be finalised soon.
Simon, who is originally from Barry and now lives in Carmarthenshire, said that although the government were making changes to improve support for carers, much more was still needed.
He added: “What is in place is woefully inadequate in terms of protecting unpaid carers. They are a valued group in our society and more attention needs to be paid to them.”
