Advocacy

Carers SA is the peak advocacy body for Carers in South Australia. Raising the collective voice of Carers is at the heart of Carers SA’s efforts to support recognition, Carer rights and better health and wellbeing outcomes for all Carers.  We persistently advocate across governments, health and social services and systems, business and communities to prioritise appropriate and meaningful support and services for Carers. Carers SA aims to ensure that Carers needs, wishes, values and perspectives are elevated and able to inform and influence decision-making by government, service providers, policy makers, legislators and systems and services to improve the lives and wellbeing of Carers in South Australia

Our Advocacy is aligned with:

• Carers SA Strategic Plan 2026 – 2029
  • Strategy 2 Advocacy and Impact: Carers’ collective voices influence policy, service systems and broader community attitudes and understanding of carers – and improve the supports Carers receive.
• National Carer Strategy 2024-2034 and National Carer Strategy Action Plan 2025-2027
  • Priority Area 1: Government, community and services see and value Carers, recognise their expertise and contribution, and create an environment that enables Carers to identify at the earliest opportunity.
  • Priority Area 6: Build the evidence base about Carers to better understand who Carers are, including their diversity, what their experiences are, what works for them and why.
• South Australian Carers Charter in the Carers Recognition Act SA 2025
  • The Carers Recognition Act SA 2025 formally acknowledges the contribution Carers make and establishes the South Australian Carers Charter, which sets out clear principles about how Carers should be treated by government and service providers. The Charter emphasises that Carers have a right to be respected, to have their health and wellbeing considered, and to be involved in decisions that affect them and the person they care for. Valuing Carers includes recognition and respect for the contribution they make to the people they support, the community, health, aged care, disability sectors and services, government and the economy.

Our advocacy aims are to enable Carers to

• Have their voices heard on issues that are important to them
• Defend and safeguard their rights
• Be partners in decision-making that impacts them and the people they care for
• Contribute to shared planning and problem solving to improve the lives of Carers.

we use key strategies for successful and informed advocacy

• We develop Carer Policy informed by Carers.
• We engage Carers in continuous feedback via
  • Carers SA Carer surveys and feedback mechanisms
  • Carer forums, focus groups and round table discussions
  • Facilitation of the National Carer Survey and Carer Wellbeing Survey
  • Carer comments, complaints, compliments and ideas.
• We meet with Ministers, Advisors and other decision-makers to keep them informed of priorities, issues and concerns that directly impact Carers.
• We collect, monitor and analyse data relating to Carers including Carer and Service reported outcome measures, research and best practice, unmet need and services gaps, innovations and emerging trends and practices, to inform our evidence base for advocacy.
• We respond to calls for submissions from governments, regulators, complaints bodies and other peaks on issues impacting Carers.
• We actively seek input and gather feedback from Carers on draft government policy and legislation to deliver Carer informed responses and submissions.
• We monitor state, national and international policy, standards and frameworks, research, legislation and emerging issues and initiatives to inform our advocacy and policy.
• We partner with researchers to improve Carer informed research, increase Carer focussed research and assist in enabling researchers to engage with Carers as participants, advisors and co-researchers.
• We train Carer Advocates to actively and effectively participate in sharing their unique perspective through their experience of the needs, goals and expectation of Carers and support, promote and defend the interests of Carers.
• We convene and chair the Carer Support Network of South Australia (CSNSA). The Network’s purpose is to identify and advocate for the needs and issues of South Australian Carers, through advice to Carers SA and collaborative action by its members.
• We work to build the capacity of the Carer sector in South Australia to support person centred service delivery to meet the needs of and improve outcomes for Carers.
• We contribute to national policy and advocacy as member of the National Policy Advisory Group led by Carers Australia to Advocate on issues of national impact.
• We implement advocacy strategies and initiatives consistent with Carers SA Strategic Directions, The National Carer Strategy and Carers Recognition Acts (state and federal).Carer SA, Carer Advisory Groups including our Carers Advisory Committee, First Nations Panel, CALD Carer Panel, and the Young Carer Collective.

Advocacy Action Plan 2026-2030

Carers SA’s Advocacy Action Plan provides a structured, evidence-informed roadmap to guide our advocacy work over the next five years. It is a long-term strategy to ensure that the voices, rights, wellbeing and needs of all Carers, including specific priority groups in South Australia, are consistently elevated in policy and decision-making forums with government and service systems.

For Carers, it strengthens their collective lived experience, voice and representation; works to embed partnering with Carers across sectors and services; works to develop tangible strategies and processes to support Carers access and equity to and across services and sectors; promotes greater recognition of the contribution Carers make to the community; build Carers’ capacity to navigate systems; and ensures their involvement in planning and decision-making in areas that impact them.

For government, a clear Advocacy Action Plan provides reliable, evidence-based insight into Carers’ priorities and the importance and impact of such advocacy in informing government policy. In implementing this Advocacy Action Plan, Carers SA will continue to find opportunities to work in partnership with the SA government departments and agencies to improve the lives of Carers in South Australia.

Carers SA’s Advocacy Action Plan outlines 7 priority areas, 27 actions and 35 discrete projects that will form the focus and direction of Carers SA’s systemic advocacy and policy work for the next five years.

For further information on our advocacy work contact allison.willis@carerssa.com.au