Swindon Carers Centre (SCC), a lifeline for thousands of unpaid carers in the region, has announced its impending closure after 27 years of service.
This heartbreaking decision comes in the wake of the charity’s withdrawal from Swindon Borough Council’s procurement process for the Carer Services Contract. The local authority’s commissioning decisions rendered the tender unviable, forcing SCC to make the tough call to close its doors at the end of 2024.
The Board of Trustees, alongside SCC’s Senior Leadership Team and external auditors, unanimously concluded that the risks posed by continuing in the bidding process were too significant. The potential impact on staff, governance, and the very carers they aim to support was deemed too great to proceed. With the current contract with Swindon Borough Council set to end on 31st December 2024, SCC will close its operations, leaving a significant void in the support system for carers in Swindon.
SCC has been at the forefront of carer support since 1997, delivering essential services that include carer assessments and breaks under the Care Act and Children and Families Act. The centre currently supports nearly 5,700 carers, a number that saw a 12% increase over the last year, reflecting the growing demand for its services. Despite these efforts and the charity’s success in securing over £370,000 in grants from various trusts and foundations over the past two years, the financial instability posed by the withdrawal of council funding has proven insurmountable.
Swindon Borough Council’s last-minute request for SCC to continue providing interim services for a further 12 months was met with regret. The Trustee Board, after careful consideration, found the offer to be financially inadequate and fraught with risks that could compromise the quality of care and governance SCC has strived to maintain.
The closure of SCC marks the end of a significant chapter in Swindon’s community support network. Chair of Trustees, Hannah Crawley, expressed deep concern over the future of carer services in the area, highlighting the lack of clarity on how carers will be supported from January 2025 onwards. CEO Susanna Jones, who will now remain in her role until the end of December to oversee the closure, echoed these concerns, describing the situation as “heartbreaking” and “entirely avoidable.”
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, which oversees a network of over 130 local carer-support organisations, lamented the loss of such a valuable resource. She warned that the situation in Swindon is symptomatic of a broader issue across the UK, where both unpaid carers and the organisations that support them are consistently undervalued and underfunded.
As the end of the year approaches, SCC’s priority remains the carers it has faithfully served for nearly three decades. The organisation is committed to ensuring that these individuals continue to receive the support they need during this challenging transition period.
