Why is this research happening?

Parent carers make a valuable social and personal contribution, but they often receive little support and the role can sometimes take a serious toll on their wellbeing. We want to understand the needs and experiences of parent carers in England and how caring impacts their wellbeing. As part of this, we’re particularly interested in self-harm and thoughts of suicide. Our previous research showed that many people caring for family members with dementia had thought about suicide. International research has found that carers of people with cancer and HIV have felt this way too, but there hasn’t been any research like this on parent carers. It’s important to note though: you don’t need to have thought about suicide or self-harmed to participate, and the survey is completely anonymous. All parent carers are welcome and we hope this research will provide a foundation for the development of better support and services for parent carers. 

What would I have to do?

We’d like you to complete a survey about your experiences of being a carer. The survey includes questions about you and your child/children, your caring role, and various aspects of wellbeing, including physical health, mental health, and social support. There are also questions about self-harm and thoughts of suicide. It will take between 20 and 40 minutes to complete and you can take a break whenever you need. There will also be spaces throughout the survey to share more information on issues that are important to you. The survey is completely anonymous and no-one will be able to identify you from your answers. 



After the survey, there’ll also be a chance to volunteer for an interview, to share your experiences in more depth. The interview is a separate part of the research and we’ll tell you more about it closer to the time. 

Can I tell other carers about this research? 

Yes please! We’re hoping to get at least 1,000 parent carers to complete, but we’d be delighted to have even more. So please feel free to share this website link with other parent carers in your community. 

How can I find out the results of this study?

The best way to stay in touch about the study’s progress and findings is to bookmark this website. We will share regular updates and the final results on our News page.

Who is funding this research?

This research is funded by the Research for Social Care Fund by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and it has been approved by the Health Research Authority (which is part of the NHS).