The Carer Project
Documentary · 17 min
Western Australia · English · 2026
The Carer Project tells the powerful stories of three Western Australian parent-carers of children with complex medical and disability needs, whose lives are stretched to breaking point by the lack of adequate respite and systemic support.
The Carer Project lifts the curtain on the hidden effort that keeps families afloat while exposing the barriers that push carers to the edges of society.
Through raw and intimate portraits, we follow three carers at different life stages, as they navigate sleepless nights, financial strain, and social isolation, all while pushing back against a complex system. Yet within their stories is not just struggle, but extraordinary resilience and possibility. With the right support, these families show how carers can rejoin society, thrive, and contribute immeasurably to their communities.
The Carer Project serves as an urgent call for systemic changes as well as a celebration of the humanity, courage, and determination of parent carers.
Director’s statement
Having worked in the disability space for five years now, I've always noticed that a real spotlight gets shone on the kids. You see it a lot in Telethon and in HeartKids and all of these beautiful and amazing charities, which I think are doing outstanding work. But in the work that I do, I often see behind the curtain, and I see that behind each and every one of these children is a parent carer who is holding everything together in their family. It is often their work that goes completely unseen.
Five years ago, I met Rachel Callendar and Nathan Maddigan, the creators of the Superpower Kids project, and I was in awe of how beautifully they'd captured the stories of families of children with complex needs. In that moment, I knew this needed to be turned into something filmic and something visual. I committed then and there to finding a way to give parent carers a voice through the medium of film.
What surprised me most throughout filming was just how universal certain experiences were for parent carers. Every parent carer I spoke to, regardless of their circumstances, talked about social isolation, which is fascinating, because they all have so much in common and yet, because of the nature of their care role, there is no facility for them to communicate with one another. My hope is that this film helps parent carers all around the world feel seen, and know that although they may feel lonely, they are part of a much greater community of people going through very similar journeys.
I hope it also makes very clear to policymakers, and perhaps those who aren't aware of the very dynamic circumstances that parent carers find themselves in, that parenting and caring for a child are not the same thing.
I think this film is coming into the world at a crucial time. The disability landscape is currently in total upheaval, with major sector reforms being undertaken. In fairness, this sector has always been a little bit tumultuous, but right now there's a lot of anxiety amongst parent carers who are feeling very lost and afraid. I wanted to make something that could serve as a shield, something they can point to and say: this is what it's like.
Cassandra Power
Cassandra Power is a Western Australian filmmaker with five years of experience leading productions from logistics through to on-ground crew work.
Her approach is to act as a conduit for her subjects rather than to direct them. She spends time understanding people deeply before picking up a camera, and works to ensure they shape how their own stories are told. She's drawn to subjects who are overlooked or misunderstood, people whose experiences tend to make others uncomfortable. Cassandra is a believer in the idea that films have the power to change behaviour through emotive storytelling.
- A film by
- Cassandra Power
- Producers
- Alex Lush, Cassandra Power
- Executive producers
- James Norton, Carers WA, RippleAbility Family Incorporated
- Director of photography and drone operator
- Gavin Carroll
- Camera operator
- James Norton
- Story consultant
- Nathan Maddigan
- Editors
- Gavin Carroll, Cassandra Power
- Featuring
- Barbara Goodwin, Nicole Gardiner, Madison Malpass