Helen Walker

Who Helen Walker is

Helen Walker has been Chief Executive of Carers UK since December 2018, bringing a background in leading civil society organisations, fundraising and business planning. Carers UK is the leading national membership charity for unpaid carers in the United Kingdom, providing support, information, research and campaigning to improve carers' lives. Prior to Carers UK, Walker served as Chief Executive of TimeBank, the national volunteering charity, for ten years, and before that as Director of Fundraising at the military charity SSAFA. She has been appointed to represent carers on the NHS Assembly, the body that advises NHS England on delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan, and on the NIHR School for Social Care Research Advisory Board. Walker is known for campaigning on unpaid carers' rights, reform of Carer's Allowance, and the passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023, which granted working carers the right to five days of unpaid leave.

References for this biography

1. 1.Helen Walker, the chief executive of Carers UK: 'I'd make caring the tenth protected characteristic' – New Statesman — Confirms Walker as CE since December 2018; background in leading civil society organisations, fundraising and business planning; prior role as CE of TimeBank for ten years and Director of Fundraising at SSAFA.
2. 2.Helen Walker – HSJ Summit — Confirms appointment to NHS Assembly and NIHR School for Social Care Research Advisory Board; confirms TimeBank and SSAFA background; confirms voluntary sector career of over 25 years.
3. 3.People who have shaped us – Carers UK — Confirms Walker spearheaded Vision 2025 and that her tenure saw passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023; confirms prior roles at TimeBank and SSAFA.
4. 4.Five years on: Celebrating an important milestone for Chief Executive Helen Walker – Carers UK — Confirms Walker's five-year milestone at Carers UK and her account of the Carer's Leave Act 2023 as a key achievement during her tenure.
5. 5.Our staff – Carers UK — Official Carers UK staff page confirming Walker's appointment to the NHS Assembly and NIHR School for Social Care Research Advisory Board.
6. 6.Contact us – Carers UK — Confirms Carers UK head office address: 20 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4LX; general enquiries phone 020 7378 4999.
7. 7.Media centre – Carers Week — Confirms Carers UK press office email media@carersuk.org and press phone 020 7378 4937 as organisational media contact details.

Notable achievements

• Appointed to represent carers on the NHS Assembly, advising NHS England and NHS Improvement on delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. Source ↗
• Led Carers UK's campaign work during the passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023, which gave 2.3 million working carers the right to five days of unpaid leave. Source ↗
• Spearheaded delivery of Carers UK's Vision 2025 strategy, which strives for carers to be treated equally in all aspects of their lives. Source ↗

What Helen Walker has said

• “the government were "righting a clear wrong" and "addressing this injustice head on"”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Review of unpaid carer debts announced after damning report ↗

• “The move to reassess cases and repay or write off debt in certain circumstances is unprecedented in our view, a righting of a clear wrong. It is addressing this injustice head on.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Thousands of carers to have overpayments reviewed after decade-long ‘scandal’ ↗

• “It's a really important day for carers today and in Carers UK's 60 year history. Carers UK is really pleased that this issue we've raised for nearly 8 years is finally being addressed, with system failures acknowledged.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Government to accept key recommendations of Sayce review on Carer’s Allowance ↗

• “Unpaid carers provide support worth a staggering £184 billion to the UK economy each year, but this comes at a significant personal and financial cost. They are often at a financial disadvantage because caring for someone can impact your ability to work and additional expenses – such as specialist food and clothing, and higher electricity bills – add to everyday living costs.”

  chief executive at the charity Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Martin Lewis: Don't trust councils' online info about the Council Tax Carers Discount ↗

• “Unpaid carers provide support worth a staggering £184 billion to the UK economy each year, but this comes at a significant personal and financial cost. They are often at a financial disadvantage because caring for someone can impact your ability to work and additional expenses – such as specialist food and clothing, and higher electricity bills – add to everyday living costs. It's simply unacceptable that carers are presented with the wrong information when they are so urgently in need of help.”

  chief executive at Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Martin Lewis says ‘poor info’ from councils could be costing carers hundreds of pounds ↗

• “We are pleased to see this government taking decisive action to start putting right the failings of the past and provide carers with the redress they deserve. The reassessment process marks an improve step in tackling these systemic failures.”

  Chief Executive of Carer's UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Carers still face debts despite government welfare system review ↗

• “Too many carers are being pushed into financial hardship because the support available has failed to keep pace with rising wages and living costs.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Should unpaid carers get £160 more carer's allowance a month? ↗

• “We are pleased to see this government taking decisive action to start putting right the failings of the past and provide carers with the redress they deserve. The reassessment process marks an important step in tackling these systemic failures.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Carer's Allowance overpayment debts to be cancelled as DWP reviews 200,000 cases ↗

• “We're incredibly grateful to MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis for shining a light on this issue because every penny counts for unpaid carers. Caring often brings significant extra costs, including higher energy bills, and many carers have to reduce their working hours or give up work altogether to care, making it even harder to make ends meet.”

  chief executive at the charity Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Hoorah! We named and shamed 69 councils over incorrect Carers Council Tax Discount info – now all have fixed it ↗

• “This is the first time that the Carer's Allowance earnings threshold has risen above £200 a week and is a welcome increase for the many people juggling work and care.”

  Chief Executive at Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · DWP change to Carer's Allowance payments kicks in on Friday morning ↗

• “Carers UK chief executive Helen Walker said hundreds of carers had suffered "severe financial strain and emotional distress" as a result of the overpayments and that further reform was "sorely needed".”

  Carers UK chief executive · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Tens of thousands of unpaid carers to have their debts cut or cancelled following huge government fail ↗

• “Carers UK chief executive Helen Walker said hundreds of carers had suffered 'severe financial strain and emotional distress' as a result of the overpayments and that further reform was 'sorely needed'.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Thousands of unpaid carers to have debts cut after DWP intervention ↗

• “We are pleased to see this Government taking decisive action to start putting right the failings of the past and provide carers with the redress they deserve. The reassessment process marks an important step in tackling these systemic failures.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Estimated 25,000 unpaid carers to have debts cut or cancelled ↗

• “We know from our work with unpaid carers that they work below their potential, taking less senior roles or lower paid jobs.”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Carers facing retirement shortfall - how to boost your pension ↗

• “The launch of this consultation is a significant moment in Carers UK's longstanding campaign to secure stronger rights for working carers. Too many carers currently have no choice but to reduce their hours or leave work altogether because workplace support and employment rights do not reflect the realities of caring.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children could get new rights under Government proposals ↗

• “Despite doing everything expected of them, carers continue to receive payments they know they are not entitled to with no clear information about when, or if, recovery action will begin or how much they will ultimately owe.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 30 Sept 2026 · Revealed: DWP still allowing unpaid carers to run up debts despite being told about overpayments ↗

• “Taken together, these findings highlight a concerning gap between the pressure placed on unpaid carers and the support and recognition they receive in return. This simply is not reasonable. We urgently need to see better investment and wider social care reform.”

  chief executive, Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 29 Sept 2026 · Unpaid carers increasingly under strain and struggling to look after themselves, DHSC survey reveals ↗

• “Caring for someone can have a significant impact on people's lives and support falls woefully short of what's needed. Unpaid carers can face devastating negative consequences for their work and family life. They can be pushed into poverty and ill health whilst struggling to get the help they desperately need and deserve.”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 28 Sept 2026 · Brits are more likely to become an unpaid carer than they think ↗

• “We are pleased to see the government taking decisive action to start putting right the failings of the past and provide carers with the redress they deserve. The reassessment process marks an important step in tackling these systemic failures.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 8 Sept 2026 · Unpaid carers impacted by unclear guidance to have debts cancelled ↗

• “Far too many carers are currently repaying debts that the government should have told them about much earlier, or they should not have had in the first place. It's been devastating for carers, many of whom have been badly hit financially and it's taken an enormous toll on their mental health.”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Government considering compensation for victims of carer’s allowance scandal ↗

• “to put right the wrongs of the last 10 years”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · DWP to reassess hundreds of thousands of cases in carer’s allowance scandal ↗

• “This is not a small number of people. Its scale and the devastation caused to so many families cannot be over-estimated, as was laid bare in Liz Sayce's report. Any suggestion that this is anything other than a systemic failure over a number of years is unacceptable.”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Pressure grows on DWP over ‘misleading’ response to carer’s allowance scandal ↗

• “Carers need to see clear, proactive communication about the timeline for the reassessment process. We have heard from carers who say that they are living with significant uncertainty.”

  chief executive at Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · MPs threaten fresh inquiry into carers allowance scandal amid redress delays ↗

• “These findings are extremely worrying, showing that many hours of caring could contribute to cognitive decline.”

  Carers UK chief executive · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Older people risk mental decline if they do long hours of caring, UK study shows ↗

• “the fix was a "vital step towards addressing the injustices carers have faced for far too long". She added: "In the coming days, we will be examining how much of this funding will directly benefit carers and how much will be used to implement the new systems and processes that are so urgently needed to prevent this happening again."”

  Chief Executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 27 Aug 2026 · Ministers set aside £75m to fix failures that caused carer’s allowance crisis ↗

• “At a time when wider reforms to the system were approaching, these cases could have been considered under the new guidance rather than progressed under the previous guidance that had already been recognised as problematic.”

  chief executive of Carer's UK · Unpaid carers · 27 Aug 2026 · Unpaid carers ordered to repay benefits despite DWP knowing rules were unlawful ↗

• “We are pleased to see this government taking decisive action to start putting right the failings of the past and provide carers with the redress they deserve. The reassessment process marks an important step in tackling these systemic failures.”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 27 Aug 2026 · Thousands of unpaid carers to face DWP repayment demands during overhaul ↗

• “Too many carers currently have no choice but to reduce their hours or leave work altogether because workplace support and employment rights do not reflect the realities of caring.”

  chief executive of Carers UK · Unpaid carers · 27 Aug 2026 · Parents caring for seriously ill children in UK could get financial support under ‘Hugh’s law’ ↗

Where Helen Walker has been quoted

1. Campaigning mum who fights for carers shortlisted for prizebbc.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
2. Review of unpaid carer debts announced after damning reportbbc.com · 30 Sept 2026
3. Thousands of carers to have overpayments reviewed after decade-long ‘scandal’independent.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
4. Government to accept key recommendations of Sayce review on Carer’s Allowancegov.uk · 30 Sept 2026
5. Martin Lewis: Don't trust councils' online info about the Council Tax Carers Discountmoneysavingexpert.com · 30 Sept 2026
6. Martin Lewis says ‘poor info’ from councils could be costing carers hundreds of poundsindependent.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
7. Carers still face debts despite government welfare system reviewsocialcare.today · 30 Sept 2026
8. Should unpaid carers get £160 more carer's allowance a month?bigissue.com · 30 Sept 2026
9. Carer's Allowance overpayment debts to be cancelled as DWP reviews 200,000 casescambridge-news.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
10. Hoorah! We named and shamed 69 councils over incorrect Carers Council Tax Discount info – now all have fixed itmoneysavingexpert.com · 30 Sept 2026
11. DWP change to Carer's Allowance payments kicks in on Friday morninguk.news.yahoo.com · 30 Sept 2026
12. Tens of thousands of unpaid carers to have their debts cut or cancelled following huge government failthesun.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
13. Thousands of unpaid carers to have debts cut after DWP interventionindependent.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
14. Estimated 25,000 unpaid carers to have debts cut or cancelledchroniclelive.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
15. Carers facing retirement shortfall - how to boost your pensionmoneyweek.com · 30 Sept 2026
16. Unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children could get new rights under Government proposalsgov.uk · 30 Sept 2026
17. Revealed: DWP still allowing unpaid carers to run up debts despite being told about overpaymentstheguardian.com · 30 Sept 2026
18. Unpaid carers increasingly under strain and struggling to look after themselves, DHSC survey revealscommunitycare.co.uk · 29 Sept 2026
19. Brits are more likely to become an unpaid carer than they thinkbigissue.com · 28 Sept 2026
20. Unpaid carers impacted by unclear guidance to have debts cancelledgov.uk · 8 Sept 2026
21. Government considering compensation for victims of carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
22. DWP to reassess hundreds of thousands of cases in carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
23. Pressure grows on DWP over ‘misleading’ response to carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
24. MPs threaten fresh inquiry into carers allowance scandal amid redress delaystheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
25. Older people risk mental decline if they do long hours of caring, UK study showstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
26. Ministers set aside £75m to fix failures that caused carer’s allowance crisistheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
27. Unpaid carers ordered to repay benefits despite DWP knowing rules were unlawfultheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
28. Thousands of unpaid carers to face DWP repayment demands during overhaultheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
29. Parents caring for seriously ill children in UK could get financial support under ‘Hugh’s law’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Death tax, dementia tax, no tax at all: Why England hasn’t fixed social careTheLead.uk
• Maryland Reform Act Keeps 26 Offenses in Adult Court, Advocates ConcernedDavis Vanguard
• We need help before next general election, carers sayBBC

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.carersuk.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-staff/
• Press office emailmedia@carersuk.orgpublished here ↗
• Press office phone020 7378 4937published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.