Not sure if you’re a carer? Click below.
A carer is anyone who looks after a partner, family member or friend living with an illness, a disability, an addiction or a mental health problem.
Carers routinely neglect their own wellbeing, choosing instead to prioritise the needs of the person they care for.
We’re here to help you look after yourself too, and to find a better balance that is kinder to your own needs without compromising the care you give.
Money, benefits and advice
Get help navigating your financial support options. Find advice for your specific situation, download resources, and and get support with applications.
Financial support for carers
Benefits and other financial support guidance, curated to your specific needs.
Advice Plymouth
Free, confidential advice on money, benefits, housing and more, from our own advice service.
Carers specific drop-in now open!
Come to our special financial maximisation drop in, specifically for unpaid carers. Discuss money, benefits, budgeting, and whatever else you may be finding challenging.
Looking after yourself
Resources to help you take care of your physical and mental health, all either free or low-cost. See your counselling options, download guides, and access carers-only discounts.
Self care guidance
Get support prioritising your own wellbeing. Counselling, workshops, signposting and more.
Discounts and offers for carers
Free cinema tickets, national discount schemes, free breaks, and how to claim them.
Our Services
Our own support for carers, from a first conversation about what you need, through your caring journey.
Getting started with support
Carers Assessments, the Carers Passport, the hospital service, personal budgets, groups and activities, and support when your caring role changes.
Young Adult Carers
Aged 16 to 25 and caring for someone? Find support built around your needs.
Working and Employment
Balancing a job with caring: your rights, flexible working, and help finding or keeping work.
Carers’ rights at work
Carer’s leave, time off for care and support, and how to talk to your employer.
Connect to Work
A free, voluntary programme for people who want to work but face barriers because of health, disability or other challenges.
Your Rights and Safety
Your rights and safety
Your rights as a carer, support to keep you and your caree safe, legal guidance, emergency planning and more.
The Bridgit App
Bridgit Care, A digital platform designed to help people caring for loved ones, has been introduced through a partnership between ourselves and Plymouth City Council. Free to Plymouth residents, and available 24 hours a day.
The Bridgit app
Designed to give you personalised guidance, practical information, and local support to help you in your caring role.
Other Support
Local organisations, community centres, health services and specialist charities that support carers.
Plymouth Online Directory (POD)
The city’s directory of local support, kept up to date by the council. Search for carers’ services near you.
Links Directory
Every outside organisation we point carers to: work, money, rights, national carers charities, parent carers, discounts and the Bridgit app.
Get in touch
You can always reach out with queries, concerns, or even just a request for an informal chat. We’re here to talk!
Volunteer with Improving Lives
We're always happy to hear from new volunteers. If there's a way you feel you could give back with us while gaining confidence, meeting people and learning new skills, click below to tell us.
Plymouth All-Age Unpaid Carers Strategy
- 1Improved access to support for carersOur business plan commits us to accessible services that bridge gaps in public provision. Streamlined referral pathways, a diverse range of contact options, and an investment in public messaging improves carers ability to reach the right level of support at the right time.
- 2Enhanced financial supportWe're prioritising income maximisation, welfare advice and access to secure financial guidance for carers. Supporting financial stability is a non-negotiable core service in our business plan.
- 3Improved health, safety and wellbeingPreventing carer burnout is a fundamental objective of our carers work. We deliver this through a person-centred, holistic approach to services, taking into account mind, soul and body. We also plan to expand peer support and group-based wellbeing across Plymouth.
- 4Improved early identification and recognition of unpaid carersWe're raising the profile of unpaid carer's needs through enhanced public messaging, investing in our communications, and amplifying voices of experience. We also offer support specifically for young adult carers, giving young people the chance to access support earlier rather than later.
- 5Improved information, advice and communicationProviding the information, advice and resources to build independent resilience, skills, knowledge and social networks is the goal our plan sets for every service. This is delivered both in-person and digitaly, so that nobody is excluded by how they prefer to get help.
- 6Support for when your caring role changesWe aim to always listen and respond to people's needs. Our plan puts the end-to-end journey of a client at the centre of how we work. Support follows a carer through every stage of their role rather than ending when circumstances change.
The Improving Lives carers service
is funded by Plymouth City Council.
