Webinar: Beyond the Breaking Point: Addressing the Civic Debt of Unpaid Care in Wales

Abstract

Unpaid carers sustain the social fabric of Wales, yet remain invisible within systems designed for their support. Despite over a decade of implementation through the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act, the recent 2026 Senedd report, Unpaid Carers: At Breaking Point, reports carers begging and fighting for help, with only 1.5% receiving formal support plans.

Drawing from qualitative data funded by Health and Care Research Wales, this paper argues the current support model is structurally unable to address this crisis. While policy aims to support a life alongside caring, measurement focuses on individualised well-being rather than structural contribution. This creates a paradox: the Welsh Fair Work mandate protects the paid workforce, yet the system relies on an unpaid workforce excluded from these protections. This raises a critical question: what would social care look like if the value of unpaid care as Civic Value were measured as rigorously as economic savings?

The paper introduces a Democratic Framework as a diagnostic tool. This framework positions carers as civic experts whose knowledge should shape governing policies rather than problems to be managed. By identifying where current metrics erase social value, it provides a pathway toward the genuine recognition of care as a civic contribution.

Biography

Dr Maria Cheshire-Allen is a Senior Research Fellow at Swansea University, holding two Health and Care Research Wales Fellowship awards. With 16 years of experience in participatory research, she specialises in the democratic recognition of unpaid carers within policy frameworks. Maria is also a Trustee for Swansea Carers Centre. She is dedicated to bridging the gap between academic research, third-sector practice, and government policy.