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CLAN Issue 59 published May 2009
Welcome to the New Year Edition of CLAN
Hello and a very warm welcome to the Spring Edition of CLAN An important date for your calendar is “Carers Week 2009” which starts on Monday 8th June with many enjoyable events taking place throughout the week, including Carer of the Year 2009. A nomination form is enclosed on page three for you all to enter, with the winner announced at our fabulous evening at Port Vale on Wednesday 10th June. The theme for this year is Carers...The UK’s Secret Service Carers Week is an excellent opportunity to feature the important role that all Carers play within the community. It also gives us the chance to celebrate the sheer dedication that so many people give to each other every day. Carers Week will then culminate in a Carers Wellbeing Fair on Friday 12th June at Port Vale Football Club, where Carers will be able to collect much valued information from many different organisations all under the same roof. We look forward to meeting with you all Sharon Jukes
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NEWS FROM NSCA CARER OF THE YEAR 2009
We will be holding our Carer of the Year Awards Evening during National Carers Week, which this year runs from the 8th to the 14th June 2009 The Awards Evening will be held at Port Vale Football Club on Wednesday 10th June 2009 Halcyon Nights a great 60’s band will again be providing the musical entertainment We are able to continue this annual recognition of Carers because of the generosity of ABLEWORLD who are again sponsoring the campaign and Awards Evening, our thanks to Mike Williams and his team at ABLEWORLD. Entrance on the evening will be by TICKET ONLY and are always in great demand. Carers can apply for tickets by sending in the coupon at the bottom of this article. Tickets are for Carers over 18 and will be on a first come first served basis. Interestingly the Theme for National Carers Week is ‘Carers…. the UK’s Secret Service’
Port Vale Football Club I am a Carer and would like Tickets (Max 2) for the Awards Evening Name…………………………………………………………………………………….. Address…………………………………………………………………………………. Tel No…………………………………………………………………………………… Please print off the completed ticket application form and return to NSCA, FREEPOST (MID 12075), Unit 1 Burslem Enetrprise Centre, Moorland Road, Burslem, ST6 1BR
STAFFORDSHIRE MS ROADSHOW
10.00am - 4.00pm Venue: The North Stafford Hotel
A Day To Remember
For further details please contact Lin Hulme, Support Worker
The New National Bus Concession From 1st April 2009 if you are 60 or over, or eligible disabled and live in England your bus pass is changing. The new pass will allow you to enjoy free off peak travel on local buses anywhere in England. (Off peak hours are 9.30am to 11.00pm Monday to Friday and all day weekends / bank holidays). Further details are available from your local Council offices listed below. Newcastle Borough Council Tel: 01782 742129 Staffs Moorlands District Council Tel: 01538 483483
CRASH
The Befriending Project provides a befriending service to Carers of people with mental ill health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, older people or a child with a disability. What Is Befriending? A Befriender is a volunteer who spends time each week with a Carer on a one to one basis.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME A BEFRIENDER? More information is available by calling The CRASH Team on Telephone Number 01782 834836
Hello To You All As part of the CRASH Team we would just like to give you a quick update of how the project is going at present. As you may expect we are busy supporting Carers in many different ways, not only do we have many support groups now available, we also have the Carers Wellbeing Workshops, which are continuing to run at the Rectory Community Centre in Shelton. They are open to Carers from the whole of North Staffordshire, please feel free to pop along to any of the following dates. 11th May 2009 Carers Café
The CRASH project has taken off with a fantastic response from both Carers and Professionals and we would like to “Thank You” all for your continued support and involvement. Anna, Joanne and Lynn
The Calendar Girls meet the Calendar Girls
The now infamous North Staffs Carers “Calendar Girls” found the time to have a break recently and went to the Regent Theatre in Hanley to see the production of the other “Calendar Girls”. The other “Calendar Girls” were indeed fortunate to meet our very own ladies and they had a long chat with them and took away some of our calendars. The picture shows actresses Linda Bellingham and Sian Phillips from the production with our Calendar Girls outside the Regent Theatre. They were very interested in caring and were full of admiration for the fantastic effort by our Carers in producing the Calendar. Linda Bellingham then appeared on ITV’s Loose Women praising the lovely ladies she had met and proudly showed the other guests the North Staffs Carers Calendar. Prime time TV awareness about Carers thanks to our Calendar Girls.
NORTH STAFFS CARERS ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
In the November 2008 Edition of CLAN we asked for your help by donating Used or Un-Used Ink Cartridges & Toners and so far we have raised over £140 We want to continue with the good work so collect as many as you can from friends & family. We have a recycling box in reception at NSCA or just post them to us if they are small enough. We get money back for each Cartridge you donate, so we will be saving money and recycling at the same time. If you have any questions please call Deborah on 01782 834836
Staffordshire Older People’s Partnership Board (OPPB)
Staffordshire Older People’s Partnership Board aims to inform, advise and provide challenges to county commissioners when they are shaping the services that are available to older people. It is currently chaired by the Joint Commissioning Unit - a partnership between Staffordshire County Council, NHS North Staffordshire and South Staffordshire PCT - and acts as a ‘critical friend’ to the commissioners of adult health and social care services. The OPPB brings together the experience and expertise of a wide range of people including service users, Carers, voluntary sector organisations and service providers. Representatives from housing, leisure and other governmental departments also play a vital role in planning service improvements along with the county commissioners themselves. Meetings of the board are held quarterly and take place in Stafford which is a central location that enables older people, their families and Carers from all over the county to attend. All meetings have a chosen theme and have been set following consultation with older people and the organisations that work to support them. The next two meetings and themes are shown below and will take place between 11.00am and 4.00pm. 14th July 2009 Quality & Dignity in Health Care Services
Morning sessions are theme based and offer a wealth of information to members. Afternoon sessions cover all strategic issues relating to older people and help to inform the development of services available to the service users. Travel expenses of older people and their family/Carers can be reimbursed and refreshments, including lunch are provided. If you would like to get involved with the OPPB or require further details please contact
Chat Line Hi Everybody, Hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to the summer months ahead, and for those of you who are lucky enough to be planning your summer holidays, this is an exciting time. Perfect for all you keen gardeners to get out there and visit the garden centres and start to enjoy the fruits of your labour, sitting in the sun with a glass of your favourite tipple. And whilst we are talking about some of the nice things in life, I hope you have not over-indulged on Easter eggs and hot cross buns! As part of our celebrations for Carer’s Week we are holding a Pub Quiz on Thursday 11th June at the Bulls Head, Market Square, Burslem starting at 8.30pm. Teams will consist of four people with a cost of £1.00 per team member. A prize will be presented to the winning team on the evening. If you would like to come along or require any further information regarding this event please contact Peter Shepherd on 01782 834836 or email peter.shepherd_nsca@yahoo.co.uk If you are a Carer, living within the City of Stoke on Trent, and you have had a Carer’s Assessment, perhaps you would like someone to chat to on a regular basis. Please give me a call on the number above and I will gladly talk to you about how Chat Line might be of benefit to you. Peter Shepherd
Longton Market Charity Disco Saturday 23rd May 2009 7.30pm - Late
Crash Support Group Just a quick reminder, any Carer of an older person is invited to come along to our two Support Groups for a coffee and chat. You can even bring the person you care for we will make you both very welcome. I look forward to seeing some new faces at future meetings. Joanne Plant—CRASH Team Support Worker
Hewitt Street, Chell Stoke on Trent ST6 6JX 13th May 2009 10.00am – 12.00Noon
The Meadows
21st May 2009 10.00am – 12.00Noon
Time for a chat... I don’t want to scare folk but I’ve personally come across various horror stories even to the extreme of people being ‘frog marched’ to the cash machine. Therefore, with the DIY home maintenance season upon us these people will be out in numbers touting their ‘services’.
Now for the solution… Simply ring Staffordshire County Council on 07773 792252 which is 24 hour/365 days of the year help line. (Yes even if anyone has the cheek to call on Christmas Day they’ll be there) You can simply report anything or anyone suspicious or if you are the victim of any doorstep crime, distraction burglaries, high pressure sales techniques or as mentioned rogue traders.
They will actually come out to your home if necessary but do bear in mind they do have to travel from Stafford, so give them half an hour depending on where you live. This scheme is backed by Staffordshire County Council in conjunction with Trading Standards. I telephoned the help line to get the feel of the service and the gentleman who took my call couldn’t have been more helpful. Fortunately I wasn’t in a sticky situation but could be one day. I’m tempted to give you his name but I won’t in case he gets a ‘rogue traders’ brick through his window! They do an excellent job in a friendly manner so please do not hesitate to ring them should you need assistance. This service is for the County but should you live in the City they’ll still advise on the equivalent service in Stoke On Trent. You might like to cut out the slip at the bottom of the page and place it by your telephone. Hopefully, you will never need it, but just in case.
What do they say? ” Don’t have sleepless nights”
All for now
Margaret - County Chat Line Coordinator
If you feel pressurised or intimidated by doorstep traders
Biddulph “more”
Written by Ian Clayton - Carer
Clic Sargent Care Grants…
Care grants are not means tested and are available to families living in the UK with a child aged under 24 who is being treated for cancer, leukaemia or lymphoma. The grants can be used to help with the following:
There are currently two main grants available explained below:
For more information about Clic Sargent please call FREE on
Energise / Energise +
Stoke on Trent City Council is offering swimming for Carers for an annual fee of £5.00 at Fenton Manor Sports Complex, Dimensions Leisure Centre, Willfield Fitness Centre, Trentham Community Sports Centre or James Brindley Sports Centre. To apply for your Energise Card you must have had a Carers Assessment and be able to provide one of the following as evidence. Emergency response card, confirmation letter from the NHS or your application stamped by the NHS.
Update from the Link Team…
The Link Team can now announce the date for their forthcoming Carer Link Workshop. It will be held at the Bridge Centre, Birches Head on the 3rd September 2009 and will be as informative and interactive as last year.
This year will see the launch of the Link Champion Awards. Three awards in total will be given out to Carer Link Contacts in the City, County and Secondary Care. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as last year the feedback we received was fantastic and it seemed that everyone got a great deal out of the day.
Comments received included… Brilliant, very interesting and helpful, gave me a better understanding of Carers problems, re-fired my enthusiasm in my Carers Link role - to name but a few.
Tell us how it is
We are coming to your area soon to see how you feel about the Adult Social Care, Health and Communities Services that you receive.
Are you a Carer, relative, someone with a disability or someone with a learning disability. We want to hear from you, whether its good or bad.
Come and meet us at...
Fenton Local Centre, Baker St 2 - 4pm 21st May and 4th June
NEWS FROM THE YOUNG CARERS DEPARTMENT
Hi Everyone
9-12 Years
13 + Years
A group of Young Carers have completed the Connexions Youth Volunteering Award. They were all presented with their certificates at the awards evening Saturday 4th April. Well done to you all! In February Young Carers Kirsty and Tammy went along with Diane and Laura to meet a panel of Young People to discuss the services we provide to Young Carers. We were thrilled to be awarded the Stoke-on-Trent Children's and Young People’s Silver Quality Award. Next year the team are determined we are “going for gold!”
Young Carer’s Residential - Stanley Head.
During February half term, we took a group of thirteen Young Carers for a two-day residential visit to Stanley Head. Most of them did not know each other when we arrived, but after a couple of days team building, there was a real sense of camaraderie. We arrived early on the Monday morning and after completing all the necessary safety procedures, the group went to the dorms to make their beds! I must say, some of the boys were horrified when handed a quilt cover, which they were expected to put on the quilt somehow!
The group then got together for their first activity, which was a series of team games designed to bring the group together and get them thinking and acting as a team. It was then off to the climbing wall! It was wonderful to see certain Young Carers saying at the beginning that they could not do it, but with some encouragement from staff and peers, they were soon reaching dizzy heights. You could see their self- confidence just growing as they took part in each activity. After a hearty lunch and a couple of hours free time, the group had a go at archery, which they really enjoyed.
Bed time at the end of day one and I would like to say that the group were so exhausted that they all fell asleep as soon as it was time for lights out. Unfortunately, this was not the case!!
Day Two was a busy action packed day for the Young Carers as they rose to the challenge of the Wall, Crate Stacking, Orienteering and Night Line which was very funny to watch as the Young Carers took it in turns to lead their blind folded partner along a course in the forest at night. The group certainly gained immensely from the whole experience. They all reported that they had had a good time and would very much like to go back and do it all again.
Jillian Thelwell
NATIONAL NEWS
National Strategy for Carers delivery…
This is the second part of the Carers Information Service which was earlier announced as part of the Health and Social Care White Paper and then as part of the National Strategy for Carers.
The FREE telephone advice line is open 7 days a week and provides an extensive advice service for Carers wanting information relating to their caring role. Examples of information are benefit advice, care and support breaks and much more…
This service is in addition to the new online information service, which went live earlier this year and is available on the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk), providing Carers with a comprehensive online initiative for Carer specific information. This is constantly developing to allow Carers to receive answers to email enquiries and take part in online forums.
These services are designed for Carers wanting information and advice about services and support available in England
Equal Rights for Carers
At the beginning of April this year the Government announced that it intends to ban discrimination against Carers by protecting people who are ‘associated with’ someone who is disabled. This will apply in employment and in the provision of goods, facilities and services. The announcement was made in a written statement by the Minister for Women and Equality Harriet Harman MP and will be included in the Equality Bill which will be published by the end of April.
In making this decision the Government has taken account of an historic case taken by Carer Sharon Coleman who claimed that she was discriminated against and harassed because she had a disabled son and was treated less favourably than employees whose children weren’t disabled.
How will this change benefit Carers?
Carers UK recently launched Employers for Carers, a membership forum for employers who wish to support Carers in the workforce. More information about Employers for Carers can be found on the following website.
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