Researchers at the ARC East of England have established a regional, carer-focused network that brings together unpaid carers, health and social care professionals, advocates and researchers. This network aims to raise awareness of research with and for unpaid carers, helping to shape the future of carer research and involvement.
The ARC Carer Research Network (ACORN) was established in early 2024 after identifying the need to bring together carer-research stakeholders in the East of England to pool expertise and lived experience for impactful carer and carer-inclusive research. The network aims to raise awareness of unpaid carer research to the broader community, shape policy and practice by identifying research priority areas, and enhance carer involvement in research, including building research capacity.
Unpaid carers save the government an estimated £162 billion annually, yet the impact of caring on their physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing is significant. It is crucial to find better ways to support carers and implement evidence-based strategies that can be effectively evaluated and put into practice. ACORN aims to address this need while contributing to the ARC’s research themes on Mental Health Over the Life Course and Palliative & End-of-Life Care, both of which include a focus on unpaid and family carers. It also addressed the importance of Inclusive Involvement in listening to and acting on people's voices in research.
To date, the network has held two meetings, bringing together carers, carer-support organisations, health and care professionals, and researchers to discuss ACORN’s approach, identify priorities, and determine the outcomes that matter most to carers. This ensures that key indicators are central to the network's work and that carer experiences are effectively improved. The network is still seeking members, particularly from under-represented groups, to ensure that future work reflects a diverse range of carer experiences and priorities.
The network aims to meet three times a year, and is starting formative work that will lead to larger, long-term projects. In addition, the network has developed an 18-month action plan for 2024–2026, which has incorporated the shared priorities and experiences of all members and identified deliverables. The action plan will be available for online viewing in due course.
ACORN is open to anybody who is interested in carer research or wants to learn more about it.
Find out more about the Carer Research Network (ACORN) and to join the group, please email Pel Fordham at P.Fordham@uea.ac.uk.