Advocacy for Carers
New helpline service for carers Carers needing advice and information can now contact the new Hackney carers helpline. The service is staffed by people who can advise on a range of issues including services available to carers, carers assessments and how to apply for the Hackney Carers Card and Carers Retreat Breaks. The helpline is open from 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-1pm on Saturdays. Please see contact details on the right. |
Provision of advice, counselling and support for those who are caring for adults or children with special needs. Advocacy on behalf of carers may include raising awareness of carers issues and helping to keep them on the agenda of all relevant agencies, setting out key values and principles for services to carers in the form of a local Carers Charter and improving the quality and increasing the availability of information to carers.
A carer is someone of any age whose life is restricted because they are looking after a friend, relative, partner or person who cannot manage without help, because of illness, age or a disability of any kind.
Someone who is paid to undertake their caring role is therefore not a carer, although some carers may be in receipt of Invalid Care Allowance or in full time employment.
Carers fall broadly into three categories -
- adult carers - an adult caring for another adult such as a spouse, partner, friend or relative.
- parent carers - an adult who cares for an ill or disabled child.
- young carers - a child or young person who is carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person which would usually be taken by an adult. This may be a sibling or a parent. See Young Carers page.
Carers are a valuable resource and their contribution to community care far exceeds the combined efforts of statutory and voluntary agencies. The continued health and well being of carers is vital to the success of community care.
The impact of caring responsibilities on people's working lives and on their income cannot be ignored. Many carers give up work or reduce their hours of work to care. Many carers in paid work report an impact of their own physical and emotional health as a result of juggling a paid job with caring. Those carers who give up work to care, face the prospect of lost earnings, and the subsequent impact on savings and pensions, as well as the loss of skills in practice, and the disadvantage they might face in trying to return to work when caring ends.
Carers are also a source of important information as they are close to day to day problems and experience first hand services provided. They are therefore ideally placed to feedback vital information regarding the effectiveness and quality of existing services, and suggest ways of improvement.
Carers can also challenge assumptions and raise awareness of issues facing people living and caring at home - they are therefore well placed to influence planning and policies.
Welfare benefits for carers
- Visit the Direct Gov website for information on benefits for carers.
- To see whether you can apply for other benefits visit the entitled to website.
Service providers and partners
A range of voluntary sector organisations provide advocacy for carers including -
Page updated: 24 Jul 2008