Winter 2013 Edition 6

Southend Carers

Southend Carers Newsletter created by Southend Carers Forum 1 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Dear Carers… Welcome to our new look carers newsletter! We look forward to finding out your thoughts on the new design – please let us know through our Senior Support Officer who’s contact details are on page 4. August saw the publication of the ‘Supporting Working Carers’ report, making a convincing case for the benefits of supporting carers to work. In this issue we have included articles on employing carers: both from employee’s and employer’s perspectives. A big thank you to everyone who helped out and came along to this year’s Carers Week. 70 volunteers supported a number of events across the borough that highlighted the invaluable contribution made to the local community by carers. 200 carers packs were distributed during the week and volunteers came into contact with over 1,050 people! Don’t forget Carers’ Rights Day on Friday 29th November; please see the article for more details about the local event. I hope you find the newsletter useful and don’t forget please send us articles, stories and thoughts for the next edition. Regards,

Matt Mint Strategy and Planning Manager (Carers and Physical and Sensory Impairment)

Welcome to the 6th edition of the Carers Newsletter!

Who do you look after….? Who’s looking after you…?

Are you are working Carer? Yes, I am a working dad/carer as my son is under 18 but I should imagine I will always be a working parent carer, even when he is an adult. I work 30 hours a week in the City of London for a gaming/ casino company. Do you know about Carers Rights at Work? Do you use them? I didn't at the time I became a carer but I was informed by a Nurse at a London hospital. Ironically, whilst my son was hospitalised in London, I was actually closer to work than I normally am. So I was spending all day in the ward with my son and all night at work, until the nurse advised me about Carers’ Rights. When I approached my boss they were very understanding and granted me the right to time off in an emergency, which was almost a month in total. Is your employer supporting you as a Carer? Do you use the right to ‘request flexible working’? I have been working in this current company since 2006 and I am so grateful that they have supported me as a working carer. I applied for ‘Flexible Working Hours Request’ in 2007. My management team granted me this Right. We worked together through the process and I now work 3 X 10 hour shifts per week, which is physically hard on me but fits in with my caring role. I'm very lucky that they have been very understanding. Would you say that, sometimes, it is hard for Carers to juggle both work and caring? Yes, for me, even with the ‘Flexible Working’ I still find it difficult to juggle work and care (mainly due to Hospital appointments being spontaneous) but at least my management are aware that I am a carer - that alone helps. As the man of the house I want to work and provide. I also have to Care for my son, as he needs me and I want to be a part of the decision making regarding his medical needs.

Southend Carers Newsletter created by Southend Carers Forum 2 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

I am a Carer. Are you…?

Who has the right to request flexible working?

You have the right to request flexible working if you are an employee with 26 weeks continuous employment at the date you make an application, and you are:

a parent with a child(ren) under 17 or under 18 if your child(ren) receives Disability Living Allowance.

a carer - to qualify as a carer under the legislation, you must be, or expect to be, caring for a spouse, partner (who you live with), civil partner or relative, or live at the same address as the adult in need of care. 'Relative' includes parents, parent-in-law, adult child, adopted adult child, siblings (including those who are in-laws), uncles, aunts or grandparents and step-relatives.

Source: Carers UK

If you would like more information on flexible working logon to www.employersforcarers.org/resources/other-resources-for-employees

Why is supporting working carers so important now?

You may be one of the UK’s 3 million working carers, dealing with the stresses of what might seem like two jobs - one paid, one unpaid - and meeting the needs of both. You may feel unable to disclose your caring responsibilities at work in case you are seen as less able to do your paid job. But with the right support, you can do both.

Most people's lives will include at least one episode of caring. Already 1 in 7 in the workforce will be caring for someone who is ill, frail or has a disability. But with the number of carers in the UK set to rise from 6 million to 9 million over the next 30 years, the proportion of carers in the workforce is also likely to increase significantly.

Already 90% of working carers are aged 30 plus – employees in their prime employment years. The peak age for caring is also 45-64 when many employees will have gained valuable skills and experience. With fewer young people entering the job market – and in the current economic climate - there has never been a more important time to focus on the benefits of retaining skilled workers rather than incurring the costs of recruiting and retraining new staff.

For more information on your rights in the workplace, log on to:- http://www.employersforcarers.org/resources/other-resources-for-employees/your-rights-at-work

Source: Employers for Carers

Southend Carers Newsletter created by Southend Carers Forum 3 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

• Over 1.5 million carers are in full-time employment (58% are men) • Almost 675,000 carers are in part-time employment (89% are women) • Approximately 10% of male employees and 14% of female employees are carers; the

figures are broadly the same in small, medium and large workplaces • 4.47% of UK adults polled said that they had given up work to care – the equivalent of

2,315,433 adults • 5.79% said they had reduced working hours – representing 2,852,417 adults • The vast majority of working carers are aged 30-59; those with the heaviest caring

commitments are especially strongly concentrated in this age group • Working carers – men and women, in full- and part-time work – pay a considerable

penalty in terms of their own health. Those with heavy caring responsibilities are 2-3 times more likely than non-carers to have poor general health

• Working carers are more likely to be unqualified, and less likely to hold university degrees, than other people in employment. This suggests carers’ access to skills and qualifications may have been neglected

• Over 300,000 working carers live in a household which contains a person with a limiting long-term illness

• Caring is related to early retirement. 24% of retired men aged 45-59, and 28% of retired women of this age, are carers. Some of them will have given up their jobs prematurely to accommodate their caring role

• Over 131,000 carers are unemployed and actively looking for work, and of these about 44% are women

Support Working Carers….

Did you know…?

Carers’ Rights Day 2013: rights, advice, support This year Carers’ Rights Day is taking place on Friday 29 November and the theme is 'rights, advice, support', focusing on ensuring that carers understand their rights and get access to good quality advice that can support them to care.

Carers Rights Day aims to make carers aware of different kinds of practical support that could help them to care. This year our Carers UK organiser’s handbook has more information on how different kinds of technology can

benefit carers. Technology can monitor things to provide the peace of mind that lets you get a good night’s sleep or to juggle work and care, or enable you to connect with other carers and access support and information online

This year Southend Carers Forum will be opening its doors from 1pm to 3pm to advise carers on a range of issues including assessments, direct payments, rights in the workplace and support in the area.

We want to hear what is affecting you most so come along and chat with our team of helpers - every now and then there are times we need a helping hand

29th November 2013

1pm to 3pm SAVS Centre, 29/31 Alexandra Street, Southend-on-Sea,

Essex, SS1 1BW

News & Feedback

We at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have been working on a new Carers Strategy.

This plan is to ensure that those individuals who support others are supported and helped to maintain their own health and wellbeing and that their lives outside caring are taken into account.

If you get a chance to have a look at the draft then we would really appreciate your comments.

We aim to publish the final strategy in March 2014 and so would welcome your feedback by the end of February at the latest. Copies are available on our website: www.southend.gov.uk/info/200024/consultation_and_engagement

For a hard copy of the strategy or to give us comments, feedback or contributions on the newsletter, please contact the Senior Support Officer:

℡ 01702 215 000 extension 4619

carers@southend.gov.uk

Southend Carers Newsletter created by Southend Carers Forum 4 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Southend Carers Forum

Offering a range of services including Benefits Advice, Counselling, Advocacy, Health & Wellbeing support & information

SAVS Centre, 29/31 Alexandra Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1BW

Open Monday to Friday 10am-2pm

info@southendcarers.co.uk www.southendcarers.co.uk

01702 393 933

Carers Counselling Service

Free counselling service for carers

Every Monday 10am - 3pm

By appointment only, please call Sally Willsher (MBACP)

07946 350 695

Support & Advice Surgery Support with:

Form filling, benefit advice and support with any other

carer related issues & concerns.

Every Tuesday 10am - 3pm

By appointment only, please call

01702 393 933

Parent Carers/ Family Advocacy Service

Do you have a disabled child under 18? Do you want your voice heard about the

service you access? Every Friday

10am - 2pm By appointment only, please call

01702 393 933

Health & Wellbeing

BASE ACTIVITIES which are held at the Clarence Road Baptist Church.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WALKS which will be located in and around

the borough of Southend.

Every Thursday afternoon For more information, please call

01702 393 933

Carebook

Join the online Carers Group - ’Carebook’ It’s an online ’support’ group for

carers by carers, where they can talk to one another, share stories, seek advice, tips &

information.

www.facebook.com/groups/470546736290310/

Have your say, take part in conversations & polls about carers rights & caring issues.

Carers Breakthrough

For any adult carer of somebody

experiencing mental health problems.

Therapeutic counselling, informal listening services, holistic & OCD self help groups

and book group.

01702 213 134

www.trustlinks.org

Dementia Support

Services to help partners and families cope with the demands of caring for someone with

any form of dementia.

Alzheimers Society (Southend & District)

01702 345 156 www.alzheimers.org.uk

Fair Havens Hospice @ Home

Providing support and respite for those caring for people at the end of their life.

01702 220 350 www.spdnsnursecare.co.uk

or talk to your GP, District Nurse or Palliative Care Nurse

Advocacy services for people experiencing mental health problems or those with

Asperger’s Syndrome and their carers.

01702 349 191 www.together-uk.org

A range of advocacy and support services for people with a learning disability or a physical

and sensory impairment and their carers

01702 528 021 www.batias.com

Flexi Breaks Carewatch Southend

Up to 30 hours of a free, planned,

sitting service available to those caring for an adult in the Southend area.

01702 557 007 option 6

www.carewatchessex.co.uk

Premier Young Carer’s Service is dedicated to working with Young Carer’s throughout the

borough of Southend.

• Young Carer Support offering some ‘me time’ and relaxation for those who care for an adult parent or sibling

• Respite care for children with disabilities and their families

01702 389 555 www.premierchildrensservices.co.uk

Southend Citizen Advice Bureau

Practical advice and assistance to people who primarily live in the

Borough of Southend-on-Sea.

0844 477 0808 www.southendcab.org.uk

Could you represent Carers on the Southend on Sea Borough Council Learning Disability Partnership Board?

We are looking for another current carer of an adult

with learning disabilities to work with us on this board to make life better for people with a learning disability

and their carers.

Please email or ring for further information

01702 215 008 ext 4609 wendyives@southend.gov.uk

Southend on Sea

Advice, information and befriending

for older people.

134 Hamlet Court Road Westcliff on Sea, Essex, SS0 7LN

01702 345 373 www.acsos.co.uk

The Carers Emergency Respite Scheme is for those who care for an adult in the borough of

Southend on Sea. We will contact family and friends in an emergency.

We will also provide up to 48 hours of free support at home for the person you care for (or up to 72 hours on a

Bank Holiday).

01702 348 142 www.ashleycare.com

Your Health, Your Life is a free 6 week course for carers, which aims to give carers the opportunity to learn new skills, to help them to cope with their caring situation, develop the confidence to take more control of their life and to meet with others who share similar experiences.

For more information please call Stephen Rabbitts, Carers Operational Lead on:

01277 312 590 www.sept.nhs.uk/Patients-and-Carers/Being-a-Carer/Free-carers-course

Carers Assessment

Most carers have a legal right to an assessment of their own needs.

If you are 18 or over and provide regular and substantial care to another adult it is your

chance to discuss with the adult social care department what help you need with caring

Search for ‘carers assessment’ on www.southend.gov.uk

01702 215 008

Be Carer Aware.

This free E-Learning course is available for carers.

If you don’t have access to a computer and/or the internet please ask at your local library.

Search for ‘carer aware’ on www.southend.gov.uk

For more information, please call

01702 215 008 ext 4619

Southend's Health & Wellbeing Information Point was developed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council in

partnership with health services and Southend Association of Voluntary Services.

It provides information about health and social care services in an easy-to-search on-line directory, which

includes details of a range of services and opportunities that help people enjoy independence at home and in

their community.

www.southendinfopoint.org

We are here to make sure your views on local health and social care services in

Southend are heard.

01702 220 104 info@healthwatchsouthend.co.uk www.healthwatchsouthend.co.uk

Our key purpose is to ensure that employers have the support to retain employees with

caring responsibilities “Caring is unpredictable; it can happen overnight or

gradually and it can be short or long term. Without the right support at the right time carers will buckle under

the pressure and something will have to give – and it is usually their job”

www.employersforcarers.org

Does your GP know you’re a Carer? Your GP (General Practitioner) and primary care team can provide you with invaluable support, advice & information. As soon as you begin caring (or if you are already a carer, as soon as you can) tell your GP that you are a carer. This can be recorded on your medical records. Did you know that you are eligible for a free flu jab if you care for an older or disabled person or are in receipt of carers allowance. Your GP or pharmacist can give you more information.