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Having your say on the big issues
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For Caring Out Loud! Care for the Carers’ conference week
Carers from across East Sussex joined us to share their views and experiences at this year’s Carers Voices conference week, ‘For Caring Out Loud!’ An in-person session took place on Monday 14th March at the Uckfield Civic Centre and was followed by seven topical online workshops throughout the week.
After two years of limited opportunities to hold events, the Uckfield session was a welcomed chance for carers living countywide to meet in person. Speakers included Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, one of the country’s foremost experts on carers’ issues and our local carers services commissioner - Tamsin Peart, Strategic Commissioning Manager at East Sussex County Council.
Jennifer Twist, CEO of Care for the Carers said, “This is one of our key events of the year and a chance for us to have a dedicated space to hear carers’ voices. The conference findings will enable us to ensure carers’ voices impact local health and social care services and share more widely what is important to carers in East Sussex. We were very excited to welcom carers again in person, as well as continue with opportunities for online discussion.”
The conference week is accompanied by our Annual Carers Survey, and more views are gathered at carers groups and activities organised by Care for the Carers and our partners in March and April. We are also capturing young carers' views through their recent film (read more below). All together this will inform a comprehensive report.
We will share more information and findings from those engagements in a future
e-newsletter. If you have any questions in the meantime Miriam, our new Head of Communities, would love to hear from you. Please email at miriamw@cftc.org.uk or phone 07593 101 120.
Annual Carers Survey
Help improve services for carers in East Sussex by telling us what is important to you, what is needed and about your experience of Care for the Carers.
We’d love to hear your views on our work, the support you have received from us and services you would like us to offer. Your feedback is valuable and will help us to make sure carers can access the right support when they need it.
This week we have launched our Annual Carers Survey. The survey accompanies our Carers' Voices Conference activities. Capturing carers' voices in a planned and focused way throughout March and April will give us the information and authority to represent carers' views to decision makers. We want this to inform our Strategic and Business Plan and our fundraising efforts, so that we can provide services and support based on what carers need and want.
If you are a professional or practitioner working with unpaid carers we also invite you to take part in the survey. Please share your views based on what you hear from carers as part of your day to day work. Please take part yourself and share the survey with any carers you are in contact with.
The survey closes on 30th April 2022. Please fill it in on-line here, or if you would like a printed copy with a freepost envelope, please e-mail info@cftc.org.uk or call us on 01323 738390.
As a token of thanks, all surveys completed by carers will have the option to be entered into a prize draw.
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News
Making Carers Count
As the Sussex Carers Partnership, we are working together with Carers Support West Sussex and The Carers Centre for Brighton and Hove on the new project.
We have secured funding from Carers Trust to help develop services that will address the barriers, challenges and needs experienced by under-represented carers from ethnically diverse backgrounds across Sussex.
Over the next two years, we will utilise carers’ experiences through a dedicated Sussex Carers Reference Group, set up specifically for this project. This will support ethnically diverse carers to access essential services, expand and develop new specialist services and work with health and social care providers to remove barriers to support.
The Making Carers Count project is currently in its infancy and we look forward to working closely with our colleagues, carers and partner organisations over the coming months.
We will provide regular updates in this newsletter. You can find out more about the project here or contact us on info@cftc.org.uk.
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Young Carers Action Day
Young Carers Action Day took place on the 16th March, with the theme of Taking Action on Isolation, calling for more respite breaks for young carers and young adult carers. The day also raises awareness of young carers and young adult carers (aged up to 25 years old), who look after someone who could not do without their help.
A new survey, released by the Carers Trust on the day, has found that there has been a steep rise in caring hours for young carers and young adult carers with more than half (53%) saying the amount of time they spend caring per week had increased in the past year, and over a third of young carers and young adult carers saying their caring role resulted in them feeling worried, lonely or stressed.
As part of the day locally, there was a special screening event of a new film produced by local young carers called “Bursting the Bubble”, sharing their experiences of caring.
Local young carers and young adult carers have struggled with feeling isolated, and have benefited from the respite that Care for the Carers clubs provide: “I personally found it quite nerve wracking at first because it was new people and I don’t really have a social life. But I was able to find that social life I was looking for and I love going to this group – it is a key part of my life.” Charley, a Young Carer
“What people don’t understand is, that for us, for people that are caring, [this group] means a hell of a lot, on an emotional level. This break is for us a holiday, two hours, that’s it, but we can’t afford to go to Spain or anything for a decent holiday, so to us this is a holiday – it’s the greatest two hours.” Jordan, a Young Adult Carer
The new film gives young carers the opportunity to share how caring has impacted them and what support they need.
Care for the Carers Chief Executive, Jennifer Twist says: “I’m really delighted that we’ve had the opportunity to support young carers to produce this film. Most young carers want to keep supporting the person they care for, but it can also be a very worrying and isolating experience. Caring often has a lasting impact on young peoples’ long term outcomes, in particular their health, wellbeing and education.
We want to ensure that our local community recognises and supports young carers, so they know that they are not left to care alone.”
The film was produced in partnership with Care for the Carers and Culture Shift and is available to view on the Carers Trust website here, as part of their round up of activities taking place on the day.
If you are a young carer or young adult carer, or know someone who is and would like to know more about the support we provide, you can find out more on our website www.cftc.org.uk, by emailing info@cftc.org.uk, or phoning 01323 738390.
The cost of living crisis -Care for the Carers support Carers UK campaign
We were one of 77 organisations to sign an open letter, written by Carers UK, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, to urge the government to provide carers with increased and targeted financial support.
The current situation in the UK is unprecedented. With inflation set to rise by 7% next month and energy bills commonly rising by over 50%, many carers are simply unable to cope anymore. Carers are having to make choices about whether they eat or heat their homes, with Carers UK finding that 42% of carers are worried they may not be able to heat their homes and 32% that they may have to use a foodbank in the future.
Carers UK are calling on the government to a) increase the Carers Allowance and other benefits, so they rise in line with current inflation and b) immediately extend the Warm Home Discount scheme, to ensure it includes carers on the lowest incomes. They want the level of carers benefits increased, and the limit of those claiming Carers Allowance to rise, they also want a Carers Allowance supplement provided to all carers with an entitlement so all carers across the UK receive the same level of support.
You can view the open letter we signed, and support the campaign yourself here. Carers UK are asking carers across the country to write to your MP to raise awareness about the financial struggles carers are facing. Template letter and more information can be found on Carers UK website.
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Support and help for carers
Help with energy costs
Carers can get help if they are struggling to afford their energy bills. They may be able to take advantage of benefits, grants and help offered by government and energy suppliers. More information can be found on the Citizens Advice website here.
Living with COVID-19 in the future
COVID-19 will be a feature of our lives for the foreseeable future, so we need to learn to live with it and manage the risk to ourselves and others.
The government has removed all remaining domestic restrictions in England, but there are still simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19. Sussex Health and Care Partnership has produced an informative guide, which you can read here.
New online tool to help people get occupational therapy support
People in East Sussex who are disabled or have a health condition that affects their mobility can now use a new online self-assessment for occupational therapy support.
The new tool has been launched by the East Sussex County Council Being Digital Programme. It means that adults in East Sussex can start the occupational therapy assessment journey themselves, sharing their needs, how it impacts their wellbeing, and what they want to achieve.
You can read more about how it works here.
Sign up for Carers Active April
Carers UK is running their first ever Carers Active April campaign month. The month will raise awareness about the importance of physical activity and provide lots of opportunities for carers to be active. By signing up to Carers Active April you’ll receive:
- A Carers Active April kickstarter pack
- Weekly online physical activity sessions throughout April
- Helpful ideas, tips and links, during the month
Carers Active April will culminate in an online Healthathon event on Saturday 30th April, which is free and open to anyone to join. The first 500 people who sign up to Carers Active will also receive their own free exclusive Healthathon kit in the post, containing some exciting items to help with being active during the Healthathon and beyond.
More information can be found on the Carers UK website here.
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Events and activities for carers
Join us on the Bluebell Walk, Monday 16th May
We are delighted to be running the Arlington Bluebell Walk on Monday 16th May. We are running an organised activity for carers to come and enjoy the walk on the day, with some free places still available. If you would like to know more please contact Hannah on hannaht@cftc.org.uk.
We are also seeking cake bakers and volunteers to help us on the day. If you would like to get involved then contact Suzanne on suzannec@cftc.org.uk, for more information. Please also spread the word to your family and friends!
We are running the whole day at the Bluebell Walk, raising awareness about carers and support Care for the Carers can offer. Please share the date and join us on the day. We will be selling cakes, drinks and lunch at the café and there is a small entrance fee – all helping us raise crucial funds for our services.
Severe Mental Illness Carers Group
Our Carers Groups are free and include monthly walking groups for carers of people with severe mental health issues. The groups are social, relaxed and a place to meet with other carers, take a walk and have a chat. We can also stop for tea or coffee!
Various dates, times and locations in East Sussex are available including: Bexhill, Hastings, Eastbourne, Uckfield, Lewes and Crowborough. Please contact us on info@cftc.org.uk or tel 01323 738390, to find out more about the walking groups and to book a place.
NEW! Friday Café – a dementia friendly community café
Friday Café is a free Dementia friendly café, being held at Kings' Hall, Withyham once a month on the 2nd Friday of the month.
Tea, coffee and cake will be served in the first half an hour with time to chat, followed by a memory provoking or craft activity for the next hour.
Please contact Julie Ruse on 07584 013763 if you have any questions or would like to attend.
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Carers card discounts
The East Sussex Carers Card is free and gives discounts from many businesses to unpaid carers. Take a look at the offers available with the card here.
It's easy to apply for a card on our website. The Carers Card also identifies you as a carer, and that someone depends on you in an emergency, and offers the option to connect to a back-up respite plan. It is also available to parent carers of children with special needs and disabilities.
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If you have been forwarded this e-news by someone, you can receive your own copy straight to your inbox by registering your email details on our website here. We do not share your data with anyone else.
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