Care workers wear tutus and glitter to fundraise for struggling staff

Care workers across Britain have been dressing up or dressing down in care homes and domiciliary care settings to raise vital cash for crisis-hit staff.

The Care Workers’ Charity’s UK-wide fundraising event ‘Wear and Care 2022’ (4-10 April) urged care workers to go to work dressed in fancy or plain outfits, donate to the charity and share images of themselves online with the hashtag #wearandcare. The money raised will help current and former care staff facing financial hardship.

Tutus and denim jean jackets were all the rage not just in the 1980s but also in the offices of Home Instead Norwich as home care staff went back in time to relive their past in and unearth outfits typical of the decade.

In a tweet, Home Instead Norwich posted: ‘Today we celebrated @CareWorkersFund Wear and Care Week. The team decided to go back to the 1980's with all of them looking fantastic’.

In Southampton’s Oaklands House care home, staff took part in #wearandcare week by dressing down. They wore jeans to work and made donations to the charity.

The care home is operated by care home provider the Future Care Group. In a tweet, the Future Care Group stated: ‘Thank you, The Care Workers' Charity, for all you do!’

Regardless of how strange some of the fancy dress looked, all the money raised in donations will help the Care Workers’ Charity boost the financial, professional, and mental wellbeing of the care sector's workforce by offering grants and access to vital services.

In 2021, £1,061,138 of Covid-19 Emergency Fund grants were awarded to 1,897 care workers who struggled with daily costs of living, mental health and wellbeing and financial support whilst isolating from Covid.

Cost of living crisis & burnout

Recent issues affecting care workers include the rise in national insurance, gas prices and inflation rates.

The mental health and wellbeing of care workers has been hit by low pay, burnout, exhaustion, compulsory vaccinations and covering for off-sick colleagues and staff vacancies.

The charity offers mental health support by offering care workers up to 10 sessions with a qualified therapist. In 2021, it awarded 70 mental health and wellbeing grants totalling £86,964 and paid for 40 Mental Health First Aid courses totalling £12,032.

Karolina Gerlich, chief executive of the Care Workers' Charity said: "We will continue to offer Crisis Grants, Mental Wellbeing and Health Support, and Mental Health First Aider training. We hope to offer new grant streams to reflect the issues affecting care workers, but this is reliant on funding, and the current environment is both exciting and a challenge.

“The need for our support is as great as ever post Covid and we are so grateful to our sponsors, supporter members and fundraisers for helping us to help those in need.”

Donations to the charity can be made by donating via its website at: www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk/donations/