Congratulations to Janice Clark, our Carers and Families Governor, who has been shortlisted for a national Carers UK Award recognising her incredible contribution to carers’ rights and support.
The Carers UK Awards celebrate individuals and organisations across the country who go above and beyond to make life better for unpaid carers. This is the charity’s first-ever national awards ceremony, shining a light on the tireless work of those who champion and advocate for carers.
Speaking about her nomination, Janice said: “Many campaigning carers like me work mostly behind the scenes and aren’t always recognised. We strive to make positive change to systems and services, ensuring that policies, procedures and working practices support unpaid carers.
“Unpaid carers provide essential care to the people we support, often at a high cost to maintaining our jobs, emotional and physical well-being, and our family relationships. Campaigning carers hope to make a real difference, and I try to do so through my role as a Carer and Families Governor, as well as working with the national Triangle of Care team.”
Janice began caring for her mother after she had a stroke in the 1980s, and has since become a passionate advocate for carers’ rights both locally and nationally. She has played a leading role in implementing the Triangle of Care accreditation within mental health services, and has backed suicide awareness training for carers.
The Triangle of Care is a partnership between professionals, the person being cared for, and their carers. It sets out how we should work together to support recovery, promote safety and maintain wellbeing.
Janice added: “I’m thrilled that campaigning carers like me have been recognised by Carers UK through these awards, and that what we do is valued as an important contribution towards a better life for carers.”
Janice was nominated by Debbie Hustings from the national Triangle of Care Team, in recognition of her long-standing dedication.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Janice highlighted the scale of unpaid caring in Surrey: “There are 120,000 adult carers in Surrey and about 14,000 young carers. The work they do has an annual financial value of about £190bn – the cost of another NHS.”
The award ceremony is taking place on Thursday, 16 October at Plaisterers' Hall, London.