Care, the great human tradition: A multi-disciplinary collaborative exploration of family care across time and culture (360G-Wellcome-212579_Z_18_Z)

There are 7 million family carers in the UK and their unpaid work has been valued at more than £132 billion per year. The demand for family care, however, is rapidly exceeding supply and carers experience serious physical and mental health problems as a result of their role. Novel approaches to supporting family carers are urgently required to ensure the sustainability of family care into the future. Archaeological, anthropological, and historical accounts of care may help carers to contextualise their role, enhancing wellbeing through connection with positive accounts of care across time and cultures. The aims of this project are to (1) bring scholars from archaeology, anthropology, and history together with contemporary care researchers, carers, and partner organisations, to develop the Collaboration for Applied Archaeological, Anthropological, and Historical Research and Engagement (CARE) Network and, (2) undertake scoping research for a large Collaborative Award application. The Collaborative Award will be used to develop a comprehensive account of family care across time and cultures, and create an evidence-based intervention for contemporary carers that can be delivered by a range of arts, education, and outreach organisations.