Warwickshire County Council and its partners are celebrating Carers Rights Day 2020. The national campaign, which aims to raise the profile of hidden carers throughout the UK, is promoting it’s ...
Warwickshire County Council and its partners are celebrating Carers Rights Day 2020. The national campaign, which aims to raise the profile of hidden carers throughout the UK, is promoting it’s 2020 theme, ‘Know Your Rights.
For many people in Warwickshire the idea of caring and carers conjures up images of nurses and care assistants in nursing homes or hospitals. However, this campaign wants to focus on the ‘hidden carers’, those selfless people who balance work and home life with looking after a parent, neighbour, friend or child.
Les Caborn, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health at Warwickshire County Council said: “Carers Rights Day gives us the opportunity to call on all those unpaid, informal carers who don’t realise they are providing a caring role, to get in touch with the Council so we can help them access the support and help they need.”
He added: “Our Adult Social Care team want to help. Once registered with the Carers Wellbeing Service, we can carry out an assessment to identify the carer’s needs as well as the person they look after. We would urge anyone who is struggling to get in touch with us today.”
More than anything Warwickshire County Council wants to emphasis the support that is available to those with a caring responsibility, across the county. Working to the campaigns three main objectives, the council wants to reinforce the point that anyone struggling on their own to provide informal care – can get help.
Carers should know their rights An informal carers assessment will help provide the carer, as well as the person they care for with support, so they don’t have to take on all of the responsibility. A quick informal chat with the Adult Social Care Team at Warwickshire County Council will help ensure quicker access to services to fit around an individual caring responsibility.
Carers should know where they can get help and support The Council and its partners can offer a wealth of support and guidance through localised community support. All of the essential support information is included in Warwickshire County Council’s Carers pack, which can be found on the Councils website at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/carers
Lastly, through campaigns such as this, we can all raise the awareness of the needs of carers. Caring can be isolating therefore its important to share support through group events such as joining a forum, such as Carers UK. Alongside likeminded people, carers have the opportunity to tell their story and make lasting friendships with others who have a caring responsibility. Informally, anyone can hold a virtual cuppa to highlight the issues of informal caring. To sign up to a national virtual cuppa go to https://www.mobiliseonline.co.uk/cuppa or alternatively, start your own with your friends and family.
We would also like the highlight that carers can also have access to regular or emergency breaks or respite from their caring role if they register as soon as possible with the Carer Wellbeing Service who can also help with support planning should the unexpected happen.
Covid-19 is proving difficult for everyone, non-more so than those with a caring responsibility, who may also have a full time job and a family to support. Please get in touch today via the website www.warwickshire.gov.uk/carers or call the Carer Wellbeing Service by Carers Trust Helpline on 02476 632972/WCC Customer Services on 01926 410410.