News - updated December 2011 - click here for upcomming events
Pictured here are the Carers Together staff and volunteers who helped on the day - many thanks to you all! |
Carers rights day events - a great success
On Friday the 2nd of December we held two events in Southampton and Romsey (with the Carers Forum). At the Southampton event carers were able to come along, browse the various information stands and find out about benefits they are entitled to. There was also information about the various support groups and activites they can get involved in the Southampton area and the opportunity to have a bit of lunch and a chat.
In Romsey there was a very intresting talk about changes at the Department of Work and Pensions and new developments planned for Social Security Benefits.
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Service Users & Carers Conference - Shaping Our Future
Tuesday 6th December 2011, 10am – 3.30pm
Ashburton Hall, Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, SO23 8UQ
Join us for a lively and stimulating event to discover how YOU can make a difference by getting involved. Quiz the Minister for Disabled People on Government Policies. Learn how to get involved in User Led Organisations. Find out how Social Networking can be used for campaigning. Be Entertained with an Exclusive Performance from Award Winning Disabled Comedian - Laurence Clarke.
Keynote Speakers include:
Maria Miller, Minister for Disabled People
Richard Watts, Office for Disability Issues
Robin Murray Neill, Common Assessment Framework
Lunch and refreshments provided.
Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed if necessary
For more information, please contact Robert on 023 80330982 or email robert@southamptoncil.co.uk<
Tell the government what you think about care services
The government is seeking the views of the people who use care and support services about how to improve the system, and what the priorities for change are.
This will help them decide what to do, and feed directly into a White Paper, and a progress report on funding reform, in the spring.
There are two ways can tell them what you think:
A. Send your views to Carers Together and
we will send in a co-ordinated response from
our members.
B. Complete the feedback form (available at www.caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk) and return it by email to: caringforourfuture@dh.gsi.gov.uk
or by post to: Caring for our future, Area 117, Wellington House, 133–155 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG. You can also post your comments directly onto the website.
The deadline for written comments is:
2 December 2011.
Carers Conference
On 20th October Carers Together attended the Carers Conference in Winchester, along with carers, professionals and other organisations. Attendees were made aware of changes that have been taking place for carers by Hampshire County Council over the last year, driven by ensuring choice and control for service users and their carers. These changes included a new carers information pack, a Carers Aware section on their website, improved staff training around carers assessments and improvements to the ‘Take a Break’ scheme, emergency planning and direct payments services.
Hugh Marriot, author of ‘A Selfish Pigs Guide to Caring’ was the key note speaker of the day. Other speakers provided information on employment support, benefits, and there was also a live music session from Professor Andrew Knight.
The Carers Partnership, which has been developed over the last year and is made up of both carers and professionals, gathered feedback from the day, to help guide them on what issues they could work on over the next year.
Residents’ views sought to improve adult social care in Southampton
How do you think Southampton’s care services for adults are performing and what would you like to see improved in the future? The way that councils are assessed on how well adult social care services are performing has changed, and Southampton City Council is now producing a report for residents - called the ‘Local Account’. They would like to seek residents’ views on what should be included in the Local Account.
They will produce their first Local Account in December. Residents wishing to share their views with the council as part of the process, need to get in touch as soon as possible and should visit www.southampton.gov.uk/council-partners/consult/current/localaccounts.aspx for more information.
or write to,'Your City Your Say', c/o Communications Department, Southampton City Council, Civic Centre SO14 7LY. The closing date for comments is 31 October 2011.
New Internet Cafe in Woolston
Following the tremendous success of the Romsey Internet Cafe we will be starting a new Cafe in Woolston (Southampton) in October 2011. Anyone is welcome to drop in on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month between 9.30am and 12.00pm for help with computers. There will be laptops there but you can bring your own if you want to. Complete beginners welcome as are those with a little more experience. Volunteers will be there to help you.
Click here for a programme of special topics to be covered and more information.
Say It Once - website launch - www.sayitonce.info
Save time when it really matters - A new website aimed at saving time - and ultimately lives - was launched this week (Monday 19 September) at The Rose Bowl by Lawrie McMenemy MBE.
Forms designed and developed with the help of local people and voluntary organisations (including Carers Together) are available on the Say It Once website, which aims to encourage people to record and keep their own personal information – and share this easily with health, social care and emergency services when needed.
Anne Meader, project executive said: “People are often asked for the same information by different health and social care staff – this is frustrating and wastes time as well as scarce resources. People are asked many times for the same information.
“The website and forms to download are designed to help you record your own information, so you only have to ‘Say It Once’. None of your personal information is ever stored on the website .When you’re admitted to hospital in an emergency, doctors could save vital time and begin your treatment quicker if they had your information instantly available. This could make all the difference in some situations.”
We're on Facebook
(and Twitter) !
We've created a facebook page about Carers Together - if you use Facebook please 'Like' us or become a 'fan'. Alternatively you might like to check the page periodically for updates and upcoming events and to stay in touch with us.
New Portsmouth Carers Council
Carers Together are supporting the new Portsmouth Carers Council. If you would like a say about services for carers in Portsmouth you can come along to the forum or send your ideas by email or letter. Click here for further information.
New Support Service in Basingstoke
Are you a carer who needs a break, a disabled
person who needs assistance or do you just need
help with activities in or out of your home?
We can provide you with a Support Worker to help you for a small hourly rate. We don’t do personal care but some of the things they can do include chatting, playing a game, reading, taking you shopping or to the library, going with
you to an event or a meeting.
Please see the information on the CASS service for further details or contact Wendy Gannon on 01256 353290 or email: wendy.gannon@carerstogether.org.uk
Carers break away and do the town (as reported in the Romsey Advertiser)
It was the break they all needed, but never dreamed they’d be able to take. Twenty carers from Hampshire enjoyed “time out “ for themselves in London as part of a pilot project offering short breaks to unpaid carers. Their free two-night stay included accommodation provided by the London Bed and Breakfast Agency, tickets to the West End musical Lend Me a Tenor, a trip on the London Eye, beauty treatments and afternoon tea at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel.
The initiative called “Give Us a Break”, aimed to ease the burden of caring by providing a few days away from day-to-day responsibilities. “I feel a completely different person to the one that left Southampton on Tuesday. Without this break, I probably would have collapsed,” said Margaret, 71, who cares for her disabled sons. More than four out of five of the group are full-time carers and a third had not had a break for a year and one young man has never had a break.
The break was organised by Jude Habib, of Sound Innovaition, a not-for-profit organisation which develops projects to tackle social isolation. Jude worked with Anne Meader, of Romsey based Carers Together, which she explained was the first group able to accept the offer. “No other group we approached was able to attend, because they could not organise the support and cover for the carers while they were away”, said Jude. “I met Anne at a conference and liked her immediately. She’s a real can-do person. When I explained the idea for Give Us a Break, she said “We'll do it.”
Woolston Window
What does WINDOW stand for? Woolston, Information, Networking, Development, Outreach, Weston.
The Woolston Window was officially opened at the end of May. This new information and drop in centre is situated right in the heart of Woolston on Victoria Road.
For more information or to let us know how you would like us to use this facility, please contact Pilar or Wendy on 02380 202 623 or Email: admin@carerstogether.org.uk
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A report into the Reaching Carers project 2011 - has just been published. A pdf version of the Reaching Carers report is available here >>
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See Area Carer Support for details of regular carers meetings in your local area.
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