Find out more about our upcoming events and webinars, and how you can sign up, on this page. For a list of past events, visit our archive.
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Webinar: Nearest Relatives Resources – Empowering carers in the mental health system
This session will outline research findings on the experiences of Nearest Relatives and Approved Mental Health Professionals of the Mental Health Act and share details of a new and free online resource for Nearest Relatives about their role in the Act. The research identified the emotional challenges faced by carers/family members when they are a Nearest Relative, and the lack of information and support that is available to them about the role. The research led to a UKRI funded project, working with Nearest Relatives and professionals to co-create a website with online resources about the role, including tools and leaflets, as well as sources of support and self care. The website will be updated for the Nominated Person role when the new Mental Health Act comes into effect in a few years. We will consider the main legal changes in this area and how the resources will be updated to reflect them.
Online, Teams
13:00
- 10/06/2026
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Webinar: Beyond the Breaking Point: Addressing the Civic Debt of Unpaid Care in Wales
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.
Online, Teams
12:00
- 16/06/2026
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Webinar: From problematic tasks to manageable roles: Supporting young carers as a large but diverse population.
Young carers are children and young people who have caring responsibilities for familiy members. Previously considered as a small group with substantial roles who access specialist young carer projects, prevalence estimates of 17% in Wales (School Health Research Network, 2023) suggest they should be investigated as a larger but more diverse population in terms of their caring responsibilities and impacts. This webinar will include a summary of the results of a mixed methods study of the wider young carer population. Ed will then present a model of the young carer spectrum that includes the impacts of substantial caring responsibilities but also more manageable roles and particularly problematic caring situations. The model also incorporates the tiering of support needs that better reflects the diversity of the group. The webinar will finish with consideration of key questions including if it is possible to support the whole young carer population; the differing role of specialist projects, mainstream services and informal support within families; and the ongoing challenge of doing so when a population is marginalised and reluctant to engage with services.
Online, Teams
12:00
- 22/06/2026
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Webinar: Raised By Relatives: The Experiences of Black and Asian Kinship Carers in England
In England, there are an estimated 120,000 children living in kinship arrangements, only a minority of which are in formal, legally secure arrangements. Evidence shows that children from minority ethnic groups, and Black children in particular, are underrepresented among children living in these formal kinship arrangements. Kinship carers from Black and Asian communities participated in interviews and standardised assessments exploring their experiences. Whilst there were similarities in the experiences of carers from this sample to previous (predominantly White) research, the impact of ethnicity cannot be overstated. Black and Asian kinship carers in this study were more likely to live in larger households, in housing that lacked enough space, in single-carer families, had lower incomes and additional caring responsibilities. Some carers highlighted experiences of racism and a lack of cultural competence, alongside harmful assumptions about the support networks of Black and Asian kinship carers. Despite the challenges, kinship carers reported that the children had a positive impact on their lives. Recommendations highlight the initial and ongoing support that kinship carers need to continue caring for their children.
Online, Teams
13:00
- 24/06/2026
ExChange Wales brings leading researchers together with practitioners and service users to share expertise, research evidence and care experiences.
Through our conferences, workshops, lectures and seminars, ExChange provides free, high-quality training to support the ongoing development of social care professionals across Wales. Attracting leading national speakers, together we learn and advise on research, impacting both policy and practice. Our events and resources enrich skills while foregrounding the lived experience of care-experienced people.
We have a range of ways that you can work with ExChange. If you wish to host an ExChange workshop, webinar, podcast or blog, simply contact us.
