A Cross-Country Qualitative Exploration of Caregivers' Needs and Preferences for Social Care and Support Services

With the global aging population, the number of older, care-dependent adults is on the rise, leading to a substantial demand for care. While European countries have adopted diverse approaches to meet this demand, the overarching tendency in policy practices or reforms revolves around a notable shift from state-provided professional long-term care to informal care, delivered by family members or friends. In Southern European countries like Italy, extensive informal care results from fragmented and limited formal care provision, with health and social care systems to rely heavily on informal caregivers. Other counties including the UK employ a more mixed-care model with increased state-provided formal support for caregivers. However, this in practice still entails a significant shift of responsibility for care from the state to caregivers. Due to the negative consequences experienced by caregivers, including caregiver burden and adverse mental and physical health outcomes, research on social policies across Europe to directly or indirectly support the caregiving role is crucial. To date, qualitative studies exploring caregiving needs, challenges, and preferences regarding formal support in countries with diverse social care systems and policies, are scarce. This cross-country qualitative study aims to address this gap by exploring the experiences of receiving various forms of support and services among caregivers in both Italy and the UK. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 6-10 caregivers in each country and employing Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, the study is expected to provide a comprehensive cross-country qualitative comparison of caregivers' formal support needs, exploring nuances within diverse social policy landscapes.