Carers take the responsibility of providing unpaid care to family, friends, and loved ones all across Australia. Carers are often presented challenging and complex caring duties. Therefore, researchers and advocates need to know more about how to support the wellbeing of carers, ensuring they have a high quality of life while providing quality of life to the people they care for. The Carer Wellbeing Survey is addressing this gap; it seeks to build a comprehensive picture of the wellbeing of carers overtime, and how carers can best be supported.

The Survey is open to anyone over the age of 14 years who identifies as a carer – both currently caring or has been a carer in the past.

A carer is a person who looks after someone who has a disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, dementia, terminal or serious illness; or who is frail or needs care due to ageing. Caring is not their employment, but done as a family member or friend.

This includes carers:

• Who have their own care needs
• Who are in multiple care relationships
• Who have employment and/or education commitments
• Aged under 25 years (young carers)
• Aged over 65 years, including ‘grandparent carers’
• From culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• Who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI+)
• Who are living in rural and remote Australia, and
• Who are no longer in a caring role (former carers).

Taking part will help us better understand how many people are providing different forms of care across Australia, and better understand the needs of carers.

This information will be used by Carers Australia to support our work advocating for carers across Australia, and by the Department of Social Services in understanding whether Carer Gateway services are appropriately reaching carers.

For information about how your privacy is protected, and further details about the funding and conduct of this project, please see the Information Sheet available through the survey link.

You can call the research team at the University of Canberra on 1800 981 499, or email via [email protected]. You can also contact Carers Australia.

Roughly 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the type and level of care that is being provided.

All participants over the age of 14 who completed the survey prior to closing were entered into a draw to win a prize, as specified on the pages of the survey.

All prizes were drawn at the Health Research Institute, Building 23, University Drive South, Bruce, ACT, 2617, and winners were notified in writing, by email or post, within five working days of the prize draw.