Southwark Council confirms digital support for unpaid carers

The news comes ahead of Carers Week which is due to commence on Monday 9^th June 2025.

Currently it is estimated there around 18,000 unpaid carers in Southwark, with more than one in 10 residents looking after their family or friends in some parts of the borough.

Against this backdrop, Southwark Council have launched a new tech-powered scheme that will better support these individuals. The initiative is being delivered in partnership with Mobilise and is comprised of:

• An online peer community – a place carers can confide in people in similar situations to themselves
• Support guides – resources that offer advice on how to balance things such as caring for somebody while still being employed full time
• Self-service tools – aids that highlight what type of support unpaid carers may be entitled to
• Information on carers rights and relevant social care law, in line with government guidance

While providing relief now, by 2026 the local authority have claimed they want to expand the scheme to help 9,200 people in Southwark and help people who may not realise they are working as an unpaid carer.

‘An estimated 10 million of us provide some form of unpaid care in the UK,’ Suzanne Bourne, co-founder and head of carer support at Mobilise, said. ‘In reality this number is even higher. There are many who don’t identify as unpaid carers, those who don’t realise that the support they offer their loves ones constitutes ‘caring’, and others who simply don’t feel able to ask for help.

‘As a carer myself, I know how crucial this support can be, and how isolating caregiving roles can be without it.’

Debbie Ellis’ story is just one example of how unpaid carers can benefit, even slightly, from additional support. Debbie is based in Southwark and cares for her husband who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Image: Debbie and her husband

‘Our journey so far has been quite worrying, and treatment hasn’t worked and has led to a couple of hospital admissions,’ Debbie explained. ‘I’m unsure of what the very near future holds for us, but we keep smiling and making memories. Since finding Mobilise, I’ve also found that the advice and information which everyone in the community shares can be very helpful.’

News of the initiative has been announced just one week before the start of Carers Week, which is due to take place from Monday 9^th June until Sunday 15^th June 2025.

Image: Debbie Ellis 

In related news:

Protecting older people from the rising tide of digital scams

Alzheimer’s Society launches 2025 Forget Me Not Appeal