Description

Local social infrastructures of care, comprised mostly of informal and un or low paid family, community and voluntary relationships, form key sources of support for people, particularly in the enduring context of restrictive and punitive government social policy and enduring funding reductions. Such relationships intersect with ethnic, class and socio-economic, and place differences which can exacerbate how support plays out. Since March 2020, the COVID19 pandemic has revealed and intensified long-standing issues of exclusion, poverty, and isolation that affect where and how care takes place within such social infrastructures. This session seeks to outline some of the key impacts of these wider challenges on local infrastructures of care. We hope to examine the difficulties facing family members, volunteers and local community and voluntary support organisations in the enduring context of minimal government support and COVID-19. People are providing more informal and unpaid care and support than before, as formal services have been significantly scaled back and voluntary sector organisations constrained in their support services and activities. The need for self-isolation, reducing the burden on hospital services, or shielding closure of local services have had a powerful effect on such individuals, many of whom were already providing substantial hours of support every week. These impacts are far-reaching into people's everyday lives, where routines of accessing food and other supplies necessary for caring become increasingly difficult and costly, and changes to working patterns become more challenging for those who are juggling paid work and care. These concerns are exacerbated by people’s anticipatory fears about getting ill with coronavirus, and the impact this could have on their support and volunteer relationships. Geographers are well placed to identify as well as respond to these challenges.

We hope that papers will situate their research within this challenging context and draw on specific experiences of people within family, community and voluntary sectors.

Some additional potential sub themes that can address either/both the contexts of punitive welfare reform and Covid-19:
Volunteering in care and support
Low paid care and support work
The role of local support organisations in context of Covid-19 social restrictions
Sustainability of family and voluntary sector care
Social isolation of individuals and families in lockdown
Role of online communication and social media in support and care
New embodied relations care - social distancing, PPE and online support
Mental wellbeing impacts of reduced and distanced care on families and those receiving care
Local ethics of care
Gendered participation in caring and social reproduction
Challenges for continuing community care
Ageing, illness and/or disability