Results and implications of the EU-project CARERS ‘Content materials to raise employability and reinforce skills of carers’

PURPOSE: The population, and needs, of informal carers is changing, reflecting not only the changing demographics across Europe, but also the unequal challenges and opportunities for education and training—and official approval of competences—across Europe for people involved in the care sector, formal as well as informal carers. THEORY: The objective of this European project (Austria, France, Lithuania Luxembourg, Poland and Spain) was to create, offer and evaluate an education and training programme specifically aimed at informal carers (e.g. family members), providing answers to meet their real needs in their support work as well as for their own emotional well-being. Therefore, project partners produced six innovative, online supported training modules (total 60 hours) for face-to-face delivery. METHODS: The presentation will highlight the development and the content of one training Module for older people with ‘intellectual disabilities’ more detailed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: All trainings were evaluated by the participants through pre/post questionnaires. The results of the trainings will be presented. DISCUSSION: The importance of trainings and support for informal carers will be discussed with special emphasis given on the fact that informal carers represent a most substantial economic resource for every country and its care system.