Why a European Carers Day

The idea is to coordinate and foster national efforts to raise awareness of carers’ issues under a pan-European structure. We will therefore be able to capitalise on existing actions and enable/facilitate new initiatives among less-advanced parts of Europe.

European Carers Day is celebrated every year on the 6th of October.

Why this campaign?

Millions of informal carers across Europe depend on migrant care to support loved ones. Yet migrant care remains undervalued, underpaid and often invisible.

Families struggle to navigate legal and financial barriers, while migrant workers face exploitation, isolation and a lack of recognition.

This year, on European Carers Day, we join forces to say: enough.

Let’s make migrant care visible, respected and protected.

Activities of our members

EPIONI Marks European Carers Day 2025 with a High-Level Conference in Athens

On Monday, 6 October 2025, an event marking European Carers Day took place at the Office of…

NIE SÚ NEVIDITEĽNÍ – ECD in Slovakia

“Taking back control of our borders”. It’s the dependants stupid!

On behalf of the Centre for Care, Majella Kilkey writes about the current discussions around…

Barriers and inequalities faced by migrant care workers coming to the UK

In this podcast by the Centre for Care and the University of Sheffield, one of…

Non solo “badanti”: L’IRCCS INRCA propone un seminario per dare visibilità e valore al lavoro delle persone migranti impiegate nell’assistenza domiciliare

Follow the very interesting seminar of our Italian colleagues: In occasione della quinta edizione dello…

Webinaire – Journée Nationale des Aidants

Our French colleagues are inviting you to take part in their webinar on the 6th…

Key issue at a glance

Migrant care fills gaps in Europe’s long-term care

Many families depend on migrant care to provide flexible care around the clock in domestic settings.

But it’s too often treated as a quick fix

Instead of investing in strong, sustainable care systems, governments tend to let migrant care fill the care
gap — without proper protections or pathways to formal, decent jobs.

Migrant care workers often leave their own families behind

Many travel far, leaving relatives in their country of origin — creating a “care drain” and putting their health and well-being at stake.

Structural barriers persist

It’s difficult to move informal care arrangements to formal employment. Families hiring migrant care lack clear guidance. Access to live-in migrant care is also a class issue — not everyone can afford it.

Informal carers face added burden

Hiring migrant care can be costly and often unsatisfactory — there’s often a mismatch between what families need and the skills available, and families bear the management burden alone.

Objectives

For European Carers Day 2025, we aim to:

Raise awareness

about the vital role of migrant care workers in supporting families and informal carers

Highlight the challenges

faced by migrant carers – including precarious working conditions, lack of recognition, underpayment, isolation, and associated risks to their mental health – all of
which negatively affect the quality of care.

Advocate for fair care policies

that guarantee attractive working conditions, fair wages, and clear pathways for skills recognition and career progression across the care sector and support informal carers involved as managers and coordinators of care provision.

Promote the inclusion

of migrant care workers within care teams, alongside informal and professional carers, in line with a vision of integrated care – supported by access to information, training, and guidance.

Address root causes

by calling on governments to invest in fair and sustainable care systems, regulate migrant care work, recognise care as a cornerstone of cohesive societies, and foster the development of innovative, community-based care solutions.

Position Paper

Our new Position Paper on Migrant Care Work exposes the hidden challenges faced by both informal carers and migrant workers — and calls for urgent policy change.

Campaign material

You will find here the material that was developed for the campaign; logo, posters, posts, press releases etc.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us should you be willing to translate it in your language.

Press Release template

To help you amplify the campaign in your country, we have prepared a Press Release template – we invite you to tailor it with your organisation’s details, national data and stories, and share it with your press contacts.

Download the Press Release template

Posters