Sefton Council is searching for a volunteer Chair to lead its new All Age Unpaid Carers Strategic Partnership Board, with applications closing on 17 July 2026. The role, advertised on the council’s website on 1 July, will steer delivery of the Sefton Carers Strategy 2025–2028 across the borough.
The volunteer will chair four board meetings each year, with preparation and reading reports in advance, totalling around 20 to 25 hours annually. Reasonable expenses will be covered. Applicants need board-level, trustee, or senior role experience alongside their own lived experience as an unpaid carer, either now or in the past. The council stated that “this will make sure they understand the challenges carers face and can speak up on their behalf”. Online interviews take place later in July.
The Partnership Board forms part of Sefton’s approach to supporting unpaid carers of all ages, from young people under 18 to older residents looking after family with long-term health conditions. The Sefton Carers Strategy 2025–2028 aims to ensure carers feel recognised, find help easily, and maintain healthy balanced lives. A key objective is embedding carer voices into decision-making at every level. Sefton Carers Centre, commissioned by the council and operating from Waterloo, supports the Board’s development and is the contact point for applications via [email protected].
The strategy includes practical measures to connect services and reduce isolation, with a focus on coproduction. The council’s carers support has evolved since at least 2010, with the current plan outlining specific actions shaped directly by carers themselves. The successful candidate will take up the role at a time when the Partnership Board is still forming its subgroups and representation structures, giving the Chair a direct hand in establishing how unpaid carers influence future services.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
