Solihull Carers Centre
Charity 1092613
Overview
Summary
Solihull Carers Centre, operating publicly as Carers Trust Solihull, appears to be a borough-wide support infrastructure for unpaid carers rather than a narrowly defined advice service. Its model combines individual support, respite and social connection with identification, referral and awareness work across schools, health settings and employers. This positions it as both a direct service provider and a mechanism for making caring more visible in local institutions, spanning children, young adults, parent carers and adults.
Operational geography
Coverage: District
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- Direct evidence consistently describes the organisation's core service area as the borough of Solihull: adult and parent-carer eligibility is based on the carer or cared-for person living in Solihull, while young carers may also qualify through attending a Solihull school or college.
- The available evidence identifies a physical address in Solihull. This is outside the supplied Birmingham ward and place list, so it cannot be recorded as a Birmingham operational area.
- The organisation provides borough-wide support through advice, assessments, activities, one-to-one and outreach support. This supports a district-scale operational identity rather than a neighbourhood-based or Birmingham-citywide one.
- Its partnership with Solihull Council on carers' assessments and work with Solihull schools, health settings and employers materially support borough-wide delivery. However, no evidence shows that these partnerships involve delivery at a specified location within Birmingham.
- Young people who live outside Solihull may be eligible where they attend a Solihull school or college. This may mean that some beneficiaries live in Birmingham, but it is not evidence that the organisation currently operates services in any particular Birmingham ward.
- No current evidence was found of a physical service site, regular delivery venue, or named operational partnership located within the supplied Birmingham wards or City Centre.
Additional evidence needed
- A current schedule of outreach, support-group, activity and event venues to establish whether any regular delivery takes place within Birmingham.
- Current contracts, service specifications or partnership agreements identifying any delivery responsibilities in Birmingham or across Birmingham-Solihull boundaries.
- A list of participating schools, colleges, GP practices, hospitals, pharmacies or employers where the organisation currently delivers carer-awareness or support activity, including locations.
Areas of work
- Disability
- The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
- The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who they help
- Children/young People
- Elderly/old People
- Other Defined Groups
- People With Disabilities
How they help
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Makes Grants To Individuals
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Human Resources
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A whole-life-course carer organisation
The organisation appears designed around the continuity of caring across life stages, with overlapping provision for young carers, young adult carers, parent carers and adults. This may reduce the risk that support falls away at transition points, particularly around ages 16 and 25.
Why it matters
Many caring roles evolve rather than begin and end neatly. Understanding the organisation as a life-course service helps explain why it combines youth activities, adult advice, parent-carer support and transition-oriented categories.
Show evidence
“Services are offered to unpaid carers of all ages in Solihull.”
Source:Organisation“Registration is available for young carers aged 5–18, young adult carers aged 16–25, parent carers and adult carers aged 26 and above.”
Source:Organisation
It works upstream through local institutions
Alongside supporting identified carers, the organisation appears to build local capacity to recognise carers through schools, health services and employers. It may therefore depend partly on institutional relationships and referral pathways, not only self-referral.
Why it matters
Unpaid carers are often unrecognised. This role suggests the organisation can influence whether carers become visible and supported before pressures escalate.
Show evidence
“The organisation supports the Young Carers in Schools programme, GP registers, awareness activities in health settings and carer-friendly employers.”
Source:Organisation“Its objects include advancing education concerning caring among carers, professionals and the public.”
Source:Charity Commission
Respite is treated as a practical condition for participation
The organisation appears to see relief from caring pressure not merely as wellbeing support but as a route to social connection, confidence and independence. Its volunteer roles and fundraising activity suggest that community participation is part of its operating model.
Why it matters
This distinguishes the organisation from a purely information-led carers service: it appears to address isolation and constrained time as central consequences of unpaid caring.
Show evidence
“Support includes emotional and practical support, social activities, events and time out or respite.”
Source:Organisation“Volunteer roles include supporting adult wellbeing sessions, social activities, young-carer activities and community befriending.”
Source:Organisation
- The scale of reach, unmet demand and the proportion of carers identified through partner institutions are not known.
- It is unclear how the new Bridgit online platform complements or changes face-to-face support.
- No evidence shows which communities in Solihull are least likely to access support.
Remaining uncertainties
- Annual-report data on registrations, demographics, referral sources, waiting times and outcomes by carer group.
- Evidence on partnerships with schools, health providers, employers and voluntary organisations, including geographic and community coverage.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
We are an independent charity which has been providing local support to carers for over 18 years. We offer emotional support, carer's assessments, practical information and advice, social activities and events, a strong voice for carers, support groups, and drop-in and home visit support through our outreach services to carers aged 5 to 105, living anywhere in the borough of Solihull.
Charity objects
TO SUPPORT ADULT AND YOUNG CARERS WHO ARE, OR WERE, CARRYING OUT A CARING ROLE FOR PERSONS WHO ARE DISABLED, ELDERLY OR ILL, BY THE PROVISION OF PRACTICAL HELP, ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, SERVICE, ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT. ALSO TO ADVANCE EDUCATION CONCERNING CARING AMONGST CARERS, PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC.