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The issue of carers being hidden is a familiar one but the problem is particularly acute within some ethnic minority communities, according to charities.

People from ethnic minorities may not recognise the term carer and so are less likely to identify themselves as being one. Helping people to do so is one of the aims of this week's Carers Week, run by the Multiple Sclerosis Society and carers' charities Carers UK, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, and Crossroads.

By not identifying themselves as carers, people from ethnic minorities who perform a caring role miss out on the benefits, services and rights they are entitled to, says Cecilia Tsang, advice and representation officer for black carers at Carers London, a part of Carers UK.


"The term carer doesn't exist in their home countries. It's quite new to them and all sorts of benefits and rights that come along with that, they have no idea about," she says.

Ethnic minority carers also find it very difficult to gain access to social and health services, she says. "Part of the problem is the language barrier and the fact that they don't understand the system."

One Asian woman who has cared for her two mentally ill sons for six years says she has encountered some professionals with preconceived notions about ethnic minorities and that this hinders carers obtaining services.

She says that when the first of her sons became ill and she went with him to see the psychiatrist she felt that she was being blamed for his illness. The psychiatrist asked her son whether she had forced him to go to university, and she believes this may have been due to a preconception that Asian families force their children into higher education.

She says that she didn't receive any support services until three years after she began caring, by which time she was also caring for her other son.

Some professionals also hold preconceptions about Asian people having extended families who will be able to help look after sick relatives and friends, she says. "They think that we have got an extended family somewhere that can help. But without asking they don't know," she says.

Funding is another issue. Jeanette Haider, interim manager at Carers London, says there is a shortage of social care funding generally, and that for ethnic minority carers this is compounded by the fact their needs are hidden. "As yet, these hidden needs have not been addressed by social services," she says.


Haider believes that, ideally, each London local authority should be clear about who leads on carers' issues. However, not all are.

While some boroughs with a large ethnic minority population provide a specific service or employ a black carer support worker, others with smaller numbers do not, Haider says. "All the smaller communities are a bit isolated."

Tsang says that councils need to audit carers' needs through consultation or focus groups with ethnic minorities and by working closely with community groups and centres to gain a better understanding of needs in carers' communities. She adds that this would also enable councils to work out the most suitable service delivery option in order to cater for carers' cultural and social needs.

Local authorities should also fund local community centres to deliver culturally tailored services to support carers and to provide council staff with training on issues such as diversity, culture and religion, she adds.

The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill currently going through parliament aims to give carers new rights to information and greater choices and opportunities for work and education. But until all carers identify themselves as such, any improved measures will fail to reach many of those they are intended to help.   For more on Carers Week go to www.carersweek.org