Supporting Hidden Carers in Migrant Communities - RCSS Report Findings

Many unpaid carers across Redbridge go unrecognised. They provide vital support to family members every day, often without knowing that help exists, or feeling too uncertain, isolated, or distrustful of services to ask.

For carers in migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking communities, those barriers can be even more significant. Language difficulties, immigration concerns, cultural expectations around family care, and experiences of trauma can all make it harder to come forward, ask for support, and access the services they need.

That's why Healthwatch Redbridge funded Redbridge Carers Support Service (RCSS) to run the Migrant Community Breakfast Club (MCBC), a targeted project designed to reach these often-invisible carers and provide a safe, welcoming route into support.

About the project

Running over six months from October 2024, the Migrant Community Breakfast Club brought carers together in a relaxed, community setting. Over a light breakfast, participants practised conversational English, took part in arts and crafts, yoga, ceramics, and IT skills sessions, and - crucially - were able to connect with each other and with support services.

By the end of the project, RCSS had identified and registered 18 hidden carers from migrant and refugee communities. The majority were women (75%), most were living in temporary accommodation, and over half were unemployed. Around 77% of those being cared for were living with trauma or stress.

Building trust took time. Many participants had experienced significant hardship, including displacement, family separation, poverty, and uncertainty about their immigration status. Some were initially reluctant to engage with formal services at all. The relationship-based approach of the MCBC was central to making the project work.

What carers told us

The barriers faced by these carers were real and wide-ranging. As one newly registered carer put it, services had not listened to her because of her limited English; RCSS was the only service that gave her a scheduled appointment and worked with her.

Other carers described guilt at seeking support outside the family, fear of services, and difficulty navigating healthcare, housing, and benefit systems. Around 83% of participants said they had felt guilt about asking for external help.

Alongside emotional support and peer connection, the project helped carers access food vouchers, housing support, counselling, and advocacy, including support for carers facing pressure from Jobcentres to seek work despite significant caring responsibilities.

Why this matters

Hidden carers exist across Redbridge, but those in migrant and refugee communities face additional layers of inequality that make them even harder to reach through standard outreach. This project showed that with the right approach - patient, culturally aware, relationship-based - it is possible to reach and support people who would otherwise remain invisible to services.

The MCBC is one of three Community Cash Fund projects Healthwatch Redbridge has funded over the past year. Each has focused on reaching communities where experiences of health and care can differ significantly from the mainstream, and where insights are too rarely heard.

RCSS has recommended that this work continues and expands, and we believe the case for doing so is clear.

You can find out more about RCSS and the support they offer at www.rcss.org.uk.

If you are a carer in Redbridge and would like to share your experience of health or care services, we'd like to hear from you. Get in touch with Healthwatch Redbridge.