# Mapping Care Wealth The Clapton Care Circle map reveals an abundance of informal, gifted, and community-based care within the local network. This “care wealth” includes a wide range of support activities that are often undervalued or invisible within traditional models of health and social care. {% embed url="" %} To view the map in a different window click [here](https://embed.kumu.io/1086a1622f6ab6ffac0ab987316bf072) {% endembed %} ## What is 'Care Wealth'? Care wealth refers to the rich ecosystem of unpaid or gifted care that helps people live well - everything from emotional support and community meals to skill-sharing, gardening, and transporting neighbours. This wealth flows through the relationships that individuals, groups, and organisations have with one another. By mapping these connections, we aim to make visible the generosity, trust, and relational power that sustains community life. > **Care is fundamentally a relationship**. “Care wealth” exists not just in services, but in the connections between people. *** ## Types of Care Identified Across the Clapton network, **20 different types of informal or gifted care** were identified. These range from emotional and social support to practical help and community enrichment. Some of the most frequently mentioned types of care include: * **Wellness, Emotional & Mental Health Support** – mentioned 30 times * **Social Connection & Engagement** – 24 times * **Recreational & Leisure Activities** – 10 times * **Education, Training & Skills Development** – 10 times * **Advocacy** – 5 times > These types of support often require fewer resources than formal care, as they are rooted in **relational quality** rather than professional infrastructure. A fuller breakdown of care types, their definitions, and examples is available [here](/boneyard/types-of-informal-or-gifted-care-support-provided-through-network..md). *** ## Who’s Providing This Care? Of the 42 elements listed in the map (people, groups, or organisations), **76.2% (32 elements)** were actively offering informal or gifted care and support to either the Clapton Circle as a whole, or one of its five participating teams. Only 10 mapped elements had no direct caregiving role in the project. The most common care types offered across the network include: * **Wellness, Emotional & Mental Health Support** – 27 mentions * **Social Connection & Engagement** – 26 mentions * **Recreational & Leisure Activities** – 15 mentions * **Advocacy** – 14 mentions * **Coordination and Logistics** – 12 mentions This variety highlights the **community’s capacity to meet a wide range of quality of life needs** - especially those often left out of task-based social care models. *** ## Generative vs Inactive Connections In mapping this ecosystem, we assessed not just *who* was connected to whom, but *how active* those connections were. Every link between elements was classified into one of three categories: | Type of Connection | Description | Share of Total | | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | **Generative** | Active and facilitating the flow of care and support | **42.2%** | | **Engaged** | A known relationship exists, but not currently generating support | 26.5% | | **Inactive** | A prior or potential connection with no current interaction | 31.3% | While nearly half of the relationships were generative at the time of evaluation, the remaining connections represent **untapped or underutilised care wealth**. In total, only **around 37%** of all mapped connections were both **sustained and generative**. *** ## What Does This Tell Us? This analysis highlights both the **depth of caregiving capacity** in Clapton and the **challenges in sustaining it**. The Circle's aim to create a more integrated, responsive, and community-rooted model of care clearly tapped into a wide base of support, but maintaining that support over time proved difficult. To strengthen care flows in future, a more focused strategy may be needed, prioritising deeper engagement with a smaller number of trusted partners, and building long-term collaborations that are easier to maintain and more impactful overall. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://play.equal.care/evaluation-framework/data-analysis/community-network-map-analysis-and-overview/mapping-care-wealth.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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