In Kingston, plans are still at an early stage, giving carers an important opportunity to help shape how they develop. The All Age Kingston Carers Board met at Kingston’s Guildhall on 15 September, for a workshop focused on ensuring carers’ needs are fully reflected.

The Board brings together unpaid carers and organisations across health, social care and the voluntary and community sector and is co-chaired by Kingston Carers Network and the Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK).

Opening the workshop, our CEO Rachael Stokes said:

“We think this presents some significant opportunities for carers to have their needs recognised and supported. It’s not going to be without its challenges, but we want to be at the forefront of that conversation.”

Dominic King-Carter, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers Trust, set out the national picture, including the pressures already facing unpaid carers and the opportunities presented by the move towards neighbourhood health and care. 

He stressed that carers must be supported by the system, rather than simply being seen as a resource that enables it to function.

“Carers are not there to be servants to the system. The system must be there to support carers.” 

A key concern highlighted by Dominic was whether carers are sufficiently visible in emerging plans. Of 46 initial neighbourhood health plans examined by Carers Trust and NHS England, he told the workshop that only nine included unpaid carers.

Turning to Kingston, Sam Raffell, Director for People Commissioning & Transformation at RBK, explained that our borough is still at an early stage, giving local partners and residents an opportunity to influence what neighbourhood working looks like in practice.

He said the aim was for teams to work more closely together so that people get the right support and “don’t have to tell their story twice.” 

Carers then explored what that should mean in their everyday lives, using real-life scenarios including looking after their own health, getting urgent support from a GP, coordinating long-term care, navigating social care and accessing carer breaks and respite. 

Initial themes from the discussions included better communication between services, clearer contact pathways, faster responses and less reliance on carers to act as the ‘fixer’ when different parts of the system do not join up. 

Carers also emphasised the importance of being closely involved in designing Kingston’s approach and welcomed the opportunity to contribute to how it develops on an ongoing basis.

Feedback from the workshop will now be brought together to help inform the continuing development of Kingston's model and ensure carers’ experiences and priorities are part of the process. A more detailed briefing will follow.

If you’re not already subscribed, please sign up to our newsletter to receive the full briefing when it is published. You can view the Carers Trust neighbourhood health and care policy briefing here.

For many children and young people, caring for someone at home is simply part of everyday life – and they may not think of themselves as a carer at all. This can make young carers particularly difficult to identify and mean they miss out on support that could make a real difference.

As a result, young carers remain significantly under-identified in our schools. Kingston schools recorded 498 young carers in the 2026 School Census, yet we estimate that more than 2,000 young carers are living in the borough.

Our new toolkit aims to help close that gap. It brings together practical guidance on identifying and supporting young carers, the impact caring can have on attendance, attainment and wellbeing, schools’ responsibilities, and the local services and support available.

The toolkit is also particularly timely. From September 2026, young carers are explicitly referenced in updated Ofsted inspection requirements, Keeping Children Safe in Education and statutory school attendance guidance, reflecting growing recognition of young carers within the education system.

Does your school have a Young Carers Lead?

One of the practical steps we encourage schools to take is to appoint a Young Carers Lead or Champion to help coordinate support.

If your school doesn’t have a designated lead yet, there’s no need to worry. The toolkit is designed to help schools develop their approach from wherever they are starting. Responsibility may currently sit with someone in pastoral care, safeguarding, inclusion or another area, and we can support you in developing this further.

Whether your school already has established support for young carers or is just getting started, we hope the toolkit will be a useful, practical resource.

Download the Young Carers Education Professionals Toolkit

We’d also love to build stronger links with schools across Kingston and make sure useful support, resources and opportunities reach the right people.

Please take one minute to complete our short form to help us understand the best way to keep in touch with and support your school.

Have a question? You can contact our Young Carers in Schools Coordinator Lucia Lenaghan at lucia.lenaghan@kingstoncarers.org.uk.

With thanks to the Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) for funding this work and supporting better identification and support for unpaid carers.

What should local health and care look like for carers?

Hosted by the Kingston Carers Partnership Board

Neighbourhood health brings health, care and community services together so people get the right support, at the right time, in their local community.

Kingston is developing its approach - and carers need to be part of deciding what it should look like.

This in-person workshop is a chance for unpaid carers of all ages to come together, sharing what works, and what needs to change. Your views and priorities will help guide future plans and ensure carers are recognised as key providers of care.

We’re also pleased to welcome Dominic King Carter, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers Trust, as a speaker.

Where: The Guildhall, Queen Anne Suite, KT1 1EU
When: Tue 15 Sep, 10.00am-12.30pm

Register your place: Email adults.engagement@kingston.gov.uk or call 020 8547 5005