Care Workers' Charity awards care workers with over £2m worth of grants during pandemic

In 2020, the Care Workers’ Charity (CWC) paid out over £2.2 million worth of grants to care workers during the pandemic, an increase of 1,150 per cent compared to 2019, according to their annual report.

The report titled Impact Report for 2020 states that a total of 3,266 care workers received a grant from the charity last year.

Of which 2,864 Emergency Fund Grants were awarded, during the pandemic with a total value of £1.98 million, while 402 crisis grants and 39 funeral grants were handed out.

Daily living costs still remain the most frequent use of grants with 40 per cent of care workers applying to the charity for this reason. The CWC has seen an increase in grants for household items due to people being at home and appliances being used with more frequency, which contributes to general wear and tear and they have seen a continued increasing rise in grants used to prevent eviction, a knock-on effect from COVID-19.

Karolina Gerlich executive director of CWC, said: “We’re really pleased to share our journey over the past 12 months as the charity has gone from strength to strength in supporting care workers during the turbulent year.

“We’ve seen many changes; a constantly changing landscape in the social care sector; new staff joining the charity; a wider awareness of the contribution made by social care workers and the development of vaccines to bring new hope to everyone.”

The COVID-19 Emergency Fund was launched on March 30 last year in response to the first lockdown.

Between January - March 2020, CWC received 120 applications and from March onwards once the first lockdown began, they received an exponential number of applications averaging 37 new applications per day at the peak.

The Care Workers Charity was set up to provide crisis grants for things such as broken white goods, rental arrears and loss of income. However last year, it had diversified, to having to help with funeral costs for care workers and their families. Last month CWC launched a Mental Health Support programme and the grants awarded to care workers gives them the space to voice worries and concerns, of which mental health is the most prevalent.

The Programme is aimed to provide up to 10 sessions with a qualified therapist through an accredited mental health organisation.

To read the Impact Report for 2020, go to https://www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/TheCareWorkersCharityImpactReport2020.pdf