Rethinking carer support through community development: understanding the emotional and existential dimensions of marginalization

Abstract This article explores how community development practice might address not only structural marginalization but also the inward, existential effects experienced by unpaid carers. Drawing on a qualitative study situated within the context of the English Care Act 2014, it examines how carer-centred group activities supported emotional wellbeing, meaning-making, and a sense of belonging. Using photovoice and reflexive thematic analysis and rooted in a social constructionist epistemology and critical realist ontology, the study highlights how carers found connection, identity, and inner peace in collective spaces. To support interpretation of these patterns, the article proposes Carer Contentment Theory as a tentative conceptual lens developed through post-analysis reflection. The theory is not offered as a universal framework but as a reflective metaphor for understanding how layered experiences of relational depth and emotional sustenance may be accessed through collective engagement. Whilst grounded in the context of unpaid carers, the insights may inform wider community development practice where collective approaches seek inclusion, meaning, and emotional justice.