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Welcome to April's newsletter for carers. We hope the information below is useful to you in your caring role. If you need any advice or information, please call us on 0800 368 8349 - our opening hours can be found here.
Free training for carers

Skills & Learning Adult Community Learning offer a range of free online courses which can be studied from anywhere with an internet connection. These courses typically take between 2-9 months to complete and there are a number available which may help you in your caring role. We have listed those we think will be of particular interest to carers below. You can see the full range of courses on their website.  
OpenLearn also offer a free Caring for Adults course, which is suitable for anyone in a caring role. It also supports your own well-being by giving you some ideas and information about looking after yourself and dealing with stress.
 
Rethink Mental Health will be leading the training session Communication for Carers online on Wednesday 12 April, 10-11am. It will cover ways to communicate with the person you care for about both of your needs, as well as how to communicate and advocate with professionals on behalf of the person you care for. Call us on 0800 368 8349 or email admin@carersupportdorset.co.uk to book your free place. 
 
Upcoming events
These are our upcoming drop-ins where you can come for information and to speak in person to a Carer Support Dorset advisor. Please check our What's On page for a full list of dates. 
Drop-in - Ferndown
Thu 13 April
10.00am-2.00pm
Ferndown Library, Penny's Walk
Drop-in - Bridport
Mon 17 Apr
10.00am-2.00pm
Bridport Library, South Street
Drop-in - Weymouth
Wed 19 Apr
10.00am-2.00pm
Volunteer Centre Dorset, Weymouth Information Shop, St Mary Street
Drop-in - Blandford
Tue 25 April
10.00am-1.00pm
The Blandford Group Practice, The Corn Exchange
Drop-in - Dorchester
Wed 26 April
10.00am-2.00pm
Dorset Carers Hub, 48 South Street
Drop-in - Shaftesbury (with Rural Mental Health Matters) 
Wed 26 April
2.00pm-6.00pm
The Town Hall, High Street

Easter balloon race - enter now!

Enter our Easter virtual balloon race and you'll be helping to support our work with unpaid carers and be in with a chance of winning £100 and an Amazon Echo. 

You can buy a balloon here now and follow its progress online live once the race begins on 9 April. A balloon costs £3 and you can name and customise your entry. 

We're aiming to raise £500 to support our work with carers in Dorset and Wiltshire. Please share with friends and family if you can :) Balloons must be bought before the start date so be quick!
Enter the race now

Council tax reductions

A full council tax bill assumes that two or more adults live in a dwelling. Certain people can be disregarded for council tax purposes. If you are disregarded then it means that you will not be counted when the Council work out the number of people living at your dwelling.

Non-professional carers can claim the disregard in some circumstances. 

The criteria that have to be satisfied are:

  1. the person providing care must live within the same building as the person being cared for
  2. the person must be providing care for at least 35 hours per week
  3. the person must not be a disqualified relative, namely a spouse/civil partner (married or unmarried) or the parent of a child under 18 years
  4. the person is providing care to a person who is in receipt of qualifying benefits. You can view these here. 
If someone is severely mentally impaired they can receive a council tax discount. You can find out more on the Dorset Council website.

If you have any questions about council tax, contact Dorset Council for advice. 
Good to know
Books for young carers
Do you have a young person in your family who helps to look after someone? We asked young carers to review books for children and young people which feature young carers and show them as the heroes they are :) Check out the books they chose here

Join our Carer Reference Group
We are looking for unpaid carers supporting someone in the Dorset Council area to share views and experiences of local NHS and carer services. Our next meeting is 14 April, 11am-1pm at Portland Community Venue, or you can join online. Contact us at admin@carersupportdorset.co.uk for information. 

Support groups for carers
Looking to meet people in a similar situation to you? Carer cafes and support groups can offer a chance to talk with people who are also looking after someone and who may be able to share useful information and understanding. Take a look at some of the support groups available across Dorset. 
 
Could you volunteer?
Could you support unpaid carers who often feel lonely? Do you want to make a difference in your local community? If so, go to our volunteering page to find out how you can get involved in our Here to Talk service.

Here to Talk is a telephone befriending service where trained volunteers provide a regular call to carers. If this service is one you, or someone you know, would be interested in receiving you can also drop us a line to find out more. 


Free IT support
AbilityNet's friendly tech volunteers provide free IT support to older people and disabled people of any age, anywhere in the UK. Find out more and how to request free IT support.
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