Carers Conference Countdown - 2025

The countdown is on to Orkney’s second Carers Conference which takes place in Kirkwall on 27 November.

The focus for this conference will be on the local support available to unpaid carers in the community.

Carers come in all shapes and sizes, providing vital care to people with frailty and mobility and health issues, mental ill health, disabilities or addiction.

Whether you're a young person looking after a parent and maybe siblings too, a parent of a child with disabilities, or you're helping a friend, neighbour or relative with vital daily tasks due to frailty, mental ill health, addiction, disability or mobility and other health issues - this conference is for you.

The keynote speaker for the event will be Councillor Rachael King, Vice-Chair of the Integrated Joint Board which oversees the provision of care services in the county – and herself a past unpaid carer. 

The programme also includes a number of speakers – including young carers – who will lay out the services available to carers, here in Orkney.

There will also be an extensive range of information stands at a Carer Support Market Place, where attendees can learn even more about the help and support available to carers from the third sector including.

There will be a break during the morning for coffee and refreshments. A buffet lunch will be included, too.

The afternoon session will be Carers’ Question Time, where a range of questions will be put to a local panel.  Attendees can submit questions in advance as part of the sign-up process.

This year’s conference follows on from a very well attended and successful gathering for the county’s unpaid carers in 2023 – believed to be the first of its link in Scotland - which helped Orkney Health and Care develop their Carers Strategy.

As well as providing information on local support, it is also hoped the event will increase awareness in the community about the importance of unpaid carers and why somebody might be considered a carer.

The Orkney Carers Conference is put together by the Carers Strategy Group, a multi-agency group including Crossroads Care Orkney, Age Scotland Orkney, Orkney Health and Care, NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council and professionals who work with families.

To help make the 2025 conference as enjoyable and as useful as possible for those who attend carers were invited to take part in a short online survey to help shape the content.

Shaun Hourston-Wells is Chair of the Carers Strategy Group:

“It is thought there are at least 3,000 carers in Orkney, with only a few hundred known to us and seeking support – and we’re determined to encourage more people to consider if they might be a carer and therefore be eligible for support.

“Even if you don’t feel you need support now, it’s good to get familiar with the support in Orkney and start thinking about what support might really benefit you in future.

"The last conference was a fantastic event.  The focus at that was very much on the national picture around carer support.  Those who attended – and those who responded to our recent survey – said they wanted this event to focus much more on the local picture and the support available.  The conference content has been shaped around that ask.”

The conference is free to attend and will be held at the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall on Thursday 27 November from 9:45am to 2:30pm (registration from 9:15am) – sign up for the event online at Orkney Health and Social Care Partnership

Notes to editors - full programme

• Registration (9.15 – 9.45)
• Welcome from Stephen Brown, Chief Officer of the Orkney Health and Social care Partnership
• Keynote Speech – Rachael King, Unpaid Carer and Vice-Chair of the Orkney Integration Joint Board
• Support for Adult Carers – Sheila Ritch, Manager of Crossroads Orkney and Cathy Martin, Orkney Health and Care
• Support for Young Carers – Lynn Bartlett, Young Carer Worker and Gemma Williams, Orkney Health and Care
• Young Carer Speech - Nymeria Drayak and colleagues.
• Break
• Dementia Support – Siobhan Robertson, Age Scotland Orkney
• Direct Payments – Cathy Martin, Orkney Health and Care, and Mandy Kirkness, Age Scotland Orkney
• Income Maximisation and Financial Support – Barbara Brown, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Orkney
• Lunch
• Carers’ Question Time – close at 2:30pm