Locating the ‘formal’ in ‘informal’ care: Reframing the lived experiences of caring for relatives with mental ill health

Hammond, Kate ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1492-0249 (2026) Locating the ‘formal’ in ‘informal’ care: Reframing the lived experiences of caring for relatives with mental ill health. The British Journal of Social Work, bcag26. pp. 1-23. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcag265 (In Press)

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Abstract

Informal carers supporting relatives with mental ill health remain insufficiently recognized within social work research, policy, and practice. Despite longstanding reliance on families, particularly women, to bridge gaps in mental health provision, their labour is frequently rendered invisible, undervalued, or excluded from professional decision-making. Drawing on feminist standpoint theory, intersectionality, and relational autonomy, this article reframes informal mental health caregiving as a structurally produced and gendered phenomenon rather than a private family responsibility. Using a heuristic methodological approach, the analysis integrates a thematic review of international literature, autoethnographic reflection, and practice-based insights from statutory mental health social work. Four interconnected themes are identified: (1) Carer burden: roles, relationships, and responses; (2) Carer identity, disenfranchised grief, and loss; (3) The gendered nature of care; (4) Working with professionals: exclusion, mistrust, and systemic barriers. These themes reveal how carers frequently absorb responsibilities transferred by fragmented services and risk-driven practice cultures, creating ‘responsibility without power’ within mental health systems. Implications are offered for social work practice, policy, and education, emphasizing the need for relational, feminist-informed approaches that recognize carers as partners with expertise.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
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Uncontrolled Keywords:	Informal care; Mental ill health; Feminist standpoint theory; Intersectionality;Heuristic inquiry; Autoethnography
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology. > HV40-69 Social Work
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Kate Hammond
Date Deposited:	05 Nov 2026 11:49
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2026 09:30
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16597

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