Member's statement: Carers' Week 2026
Member's statement by Ms Sian Mulholland on .
- MLA
- Ms Sian Mulholland
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 8 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Carers' Week 2026
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5600179
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This week marks Carers' Week 2026. This year's theme is "Building Carer-friendly Communities", and it could not be more timely. Across our communities, thousands of people care every day for someone, often quietly, often without recognition and, far too often, without the support that they need. Therefore, Carers' Week is a chance to say clearly that unpaid carers are not invisible. The updated Carers' Week 2026 report shows that almost a third of unpaid carers do not feel that their caring role is understood or valued by their community. Nearly a quarter of current and former carers said that they had not been able to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and 22% said that they had been unable to take part in local groups or activities. That shows us that caring can still mean isolation. It can mean missing out on work, education, relationships, community life and, most important, looking after your own health. It also tells me that we too often wait until carers are at breaking point before the support that they need arrives. It is not fair, and it is not sustainable. We need to invest upstream. We need early intervention with carers before a crisis develops, and we need proper respite, replacement care and practical help before exhaustion becomes burnout. When we support carers early, we do not just improve their lives but help to protect the well-being, dignity and independence of the person whom they care for. The report also shows where carers feel the gaps most sharply. Public transport was viewed as the least carer-friendly service in Northern Ireland, followed by financial services, workplaces and social care. Those are everyday systems that carers need to navigate just to get through the week. Building carer-friendly communities means practical change. It means all facets of civil society recognising that carers are part of each and every one of our communities. It also means legislation and policy that makes carers' lives easier, less arduous and much less lonely. We need a joined-up, cross-departmental approach that recognises that carers do not live their lives in departmental silos. Their needs cut across Health, Communities, Education, Infrastructure, Economy and Finance, so our response should do the same. I want to highlight the Northern Trust's new carer support programme, which is being launched today. It includes walking groups and peer-support groups across North Antrim and beyond. It includes book clubs, journaling and a mix of in-person and online events for ease of access. I pay tribute to the trust's carer pathway steering group, which has shaped that programme for carers so that it feels supportive, practical and designed with carers in mind. This Carers' Week, I pay tribute to every unpaid carer across Northern Ireland, including those who do not even recognise themselves as carers. If we are serious about building healthier, fairer and more compassionate communities, we have to build communities that recognise, value and support our carers not just this week but every week.
494 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.85).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.85 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.69 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.16 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.10 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.04 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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