Migrant Community Breakfast Club Report

Healthwatch Redbridge gave Redbridge Carers Support Service a grant to deliver a targeted project aimed at identifying and supporting unpaid carers within refugee, asylum-seeking, and migrant communities. The Migrant Community Breakfast Club (MCBC) was developed to address the complex challenges faced by migrant carers.

Over the project period, RCSS successfully identified and registered 18 previously “hidden” carers, most of whom were women, unemployed, and caring for family members affected primarily by trauma, stress, or complex health needs. The carers came from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, were predominantly Muslim, and many lived in temporary accommodation with high levels of financial insecurity. Engagement with this group required intensive, relationship‑based support in order to build trust and overcome fears related to immigration enforcement and past experiences of trauma.

The MCBC provided a safe, non‑judgemental space where carers could meet regularly, practise conversational English, receive peer support, and take part in wellbeing activities such as arts and crafts, chair‑based yoga, advice sessions and emotional wellbeing support. In addition to group activities, RCSS offered tailored one‑to‑one support, including casework, housing assistance, access to food vouchers and grants, counselling referrals, and advocacy with Jobcentre Plus, health services and social care.

The report highlights multiple systemic barriers affecting migrant carers, including cultural expectations that caring should remain within the family, guilt about seeking external help, stigma around mental health, language and literacy difficulties, digital exclusion, and limited access to healthcare linked to immigration status. These barriers often resulted in carers feeling ignored, misunderstood or intimidated when engaging with formal services.

Partnership working with organisations such as the British Red Cross, migrant support groups, GP services and asylum forums improved referral pathways and helped carers access more culturally appropriate support. The project’s outcomes included reduced isolation, improved confidence in English communication, better access to health, housing and financial support, increased self‑advocacy, and a stronger sense of belonging and resilience among participants.

Case studies in the report illustrate the complex realities of migrant caring, including young carers balancing education and work with high levels of responsibility, families caring for disabled children after fleeing persecution, and carers with no recourse to public funds who later became volunteers supporting others.

The report concludes that, despite its short timeframe, the MCBC had a meaningful positive impact on identifying and supporting migrant carers and addressing health inequalities. RCSS recommends continued funding to sustain and expand the programme, improved access to translation and multilingual information, greater cultural competence training for professionals, digital skills support for carers, and more flexible Jobcentre expectations for people with caring responsibilities.