Cultural Expectations of Caring

Cultural concepts of caring are not universally shared throughout communities in Britain; many refugees do not have experience of a welfare state and therefore, among a whole range of concepts, would not necessarily understand the concept of a ‘carer’.

The DH publication: Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own­ (2008) points out that The National Black Carers and Carers Workers Network have highlighted that they have been unable to find a word in Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi or Bengali which translates into ‘carer’.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation: Characteristics of care providers and care receivers over time­ (2006) highlights that incidences of care being carried out within the family have also been found to be more common in certain cultural groups. ‘Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups are more likely to be carers than any other ethnic group’.

Good practice

  • A referral for a young carer should automatically trigger an assessment or review of the needs of the person who is ill or disabled
  • Assessments for ill or disabled adults should always ask the question: ‘are there any children or young people in the family who may be acting as carers?’
  • Always refer to the Whole Family Pathway­ for  ‘Good practice guidance’ when assessing the needs of the whole family
  • It is important not to make assumptions regarding culture and caring in order to avoid excluding the family (even unintentionally), from support.  Do not assume that because a family is of a particular cultural background that they would not want to access support
  • If a family does not wish to access support consider if this is because the service is not culturally appropriate or flexible enough for the needs of the family, rather than assuming that the family prefers to take on the caring role themselves

Always consult the family about the needs of the whole family and what would be useful for them

More information about Culture and health­ can be found in the Health­ area of this website.