This project is a collaboration between academic researchers and voluntary sector organisations across the UK and Ireland. We know that family carers of people with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities, in addition to other carers, have experienced significant stress due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This project seeks to capture those experiences with the aim of developing a programme to help reduce the impact of the pandemic.
We have been conducting focus group discussions (2021-2022) with our voluntary sector partners and family carers to understand what the pandemic has been like for them and determine what can be done to help. We aim to ensure that the voices of family carers are heard and are used to directly inform a programme to meet their identified needs.