Carers in Belfast – 5 short films
We worked with the Carer Support Service at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to create 5 short films documenting the personal stories of Ruth, Gillian, Ronan, Jill and Zoe.
The project was developed alongside a new Carer’s Strategy to ensure that carers in the Belfast Trust area receive the support they need to continue doing their caring role.
The Strategy was developed in collaboration with carers through the Carer’s Network and was launched in September 2025 at Belfast City Hall.
This is a forum that includes carers sitting alongside staff from the Carer Support Service to develop a range of support mechanisms that ensure carers receive the practical and emotional support they need in order to continue doing their caring role for their loved ones.
1 in 8 people in Belfast is a carer
There are 40,200 carers in Belfast – and this figure comes from the latest census data from 2021 so the actual number today is most likely a lot higher than this.
As we discovered during the project, one of the main issues facing the Carer Support Service is that people doing a caring role do not always identify themselves as a carer.
They are very likely to be caring for a family member – spouse, parent, child – and do not see themselves as a carer.
One of the main objectives of the series of short films that we created was to help those doing a caring role to identify themselves as a carer in order that they are able to avail of the support offered by the Carer Support Service.
The short films are also to be used as a training resource for all Belfast Trust staff so that they are able to identify carers when they come across patients in an acute care setting.
There are almost 700 carers under the age of 18 in Belfast
One of the short films features Zoe talking about how she became carer at the age of 14 when her mum was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Zoe now works for the Carer Support Service and her experience of being a young carer is invaluable when it comes to developing support for other young carers.
Zie’s film received it’s first showing at the Carer’s Strategy launch long with the other films in the series.
Carers save the Northern Ireland Executive £5.8bn per year
The importance of the role that carers have goes far beyond the money involved but the £5.8bn figure shows how important carers are to everyone that lives in Northern Ireland.
Watch the 5 short films
Gillian's Story
Gillian cares for her mother who is in her 90s and still lives independently.
Gillian also works on a voluntary basis with the Carer Support Service to hep develop the support mechanisms that are needed in order to ensure that carers receive the support they need.
Ruth's Story
Ruth has worked as a consultant in the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust for more than 20 years and now cares for her father who is approaching his 92nd birthday.
Zoe's Story
Zoe became a carer at the age of 14 when her Mum received a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
Zoe now works for the Carer Support Service to help develop the carer support strategy and works with carers to provide the support they need.
Ronan's Story
Ronan cares for his wife who has Multiple Sclerosis.
Ronan talks about the activities organised by the Carer Support Service and how they provide the opportunity to connect with people who understand what you are going through.
Jill's Story
Jill cares for her son who has Down Syndrome and is 32 years old.
Jill talks about how she has navigated the different agencies and bodies to ensure her son receives the support he needs.