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SUPPORT AND OUTREACH SERVICE (SOS) Our Carer Support Workers provide information and support to Carers throughout North Staffordshire. They are only a phone call away and can help you with any aspect of your caring role. Sometimes just a chat can make you feel so much better, but we are also there when problems arise which need more specialized help. The Team can provide you with:
MEET THE S.O.S TEAM....
Hello Everyone!! I'm Tracy Harper, the Mental Health Carer Support Worker for Newcastle and Moorlands. I have been working for the Association for over a year, and positively love my job. I offer support to predominantly Carers of those with mental health problems. However, sometimes there is a crossover into other areas, which I can cover. I originate from the East Midlands/South Yorkshire area, but moved over to Stoke on Trent in September 2006. I live with my husband, Dave, and two of our three sons. (The cat and I feel awfully out numbered at times!) I am qualified as a Registered Nurse in Mental Health, and I am also qualified as a General Nurse. I have worked as a nurse for far more years than I care to remember, working in Paediatrics, Learning Disabilities, EMI, Special Needs and Mental Health. I have also been in the role of informal carer, following my late husband's short illness, and subsequent death, and have some insight on how it feels to care and to lose someone you love. I like to think that I have a friendly and outgoing manner, which breaks down the barriers that can appear in any professional and therapeutic relationship. Laughter is good medicine! According to my colleagues, they seem to think I sound like Jo Brand and look like Dawn French - high praise indeed.
Hello, My name is Sharon Smith and I am the Older Carers Support Worker working within the Outreach Support Service. I offer emotional support and information to anyone who is caring for someone over the age of 50, (regardless of their own age). The help that I offer varies from extreme cases where a carer may be experiencing a crisis situation and needs urgent assistance, to just providing a telephone number. Every carer counts! I am also the Outreach Co-ordinator for the Support Outreach Service. Over the next 3 months, I have arranged Carers' information points throughout the city and county. You can come along on a 'drop in' basis to speak to a support worker with any problems that you may be experiencing. Find out what you are entitled to claim as a Carer, pick up an information pack, register with us, or simply come along for a confidential chat.
Hi, my name is Lisa Burrows and I am the Parent Carer Support Worker for parents of children with disabilities, disorders and illnesses. I am also the Co-ordinator for our Carers' Cafes, which are currently running weekly (for more information, please see below). The Cafes are a great opportunity for Carers to meet other Carers and some of the professionals who work with them. I am a mum of two and was a Carer for my grandmother and one of my parents. I have been with North Staffs Carers Association for the past two years and thoroughly enjoy my role. During this time I have been involved with many families and been able to help them through difficult times in their caring role. My biggest achievement was the Parachute Jump I did for NSCA back in 2006, which raised funds to pay for Carers to see the Christmas Pantomime. Oh no you didn't !! Oh yes I did !! I look forward to the challenges that 2008 may bring me and to meeting new Carers along the way.
What's been happening in the S.O.S. Team? Over the last year, the Carers' Support Team has gone through a tremendous element of change due to loss of funding last year. I am sure that many of you have now heard, that we have been awarded a five year grant to provide a specialist service to Carers. This is being funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The service will be known to Carers as: We will shortly be appointing three people to carry out the role and they will be known as "Carers Development Workers". This is such exciting news. We are eager to invite Carers along to an opening day, that we will host for Carers and Professionals, to celebrate launching this new innovative service for Carers in North Staffordshire. Within this team of new workers will be our valued Carers' Support Workers, Sharon Smith, Lisa Burrows, and Tracy Harper, whom I'm sure most of you know. They will continue to receive referrals and carry out home visits, so you will continue to benefit from them. We are looking to involve Carers more in our office, helping out with different things such as support groups, events and outreach. If you are interested in helping us out we would really appreciate it. Well what have we been up to in the SOS team over the last couple of months? Sharon Smith our Older Peoples Carers worker has been training in Birmingham with other professionals. She has been working with Carers from the BME communities, and will be working towards rolling the training out to Carers in North Staffordshire. To identify BME Carers she has been operating a drop in at NORSACA on a Friday. This is very new. She would love more people to drop in and see her between 12& 2pm Sharon would also like to spend time with Carers in other minority communities. So if you know of any please let Sharon know Lisa Burrows has been working closely with the City Council raising awareness of their new Learning Disability and Parent Carer Forums - helping raise the profile of Carers and supporting them to be actively involved in planning and modernising local services. If you are interested in becoming involved, then Lisa would love to hear from you. Tracy Harper is working all over the Moorlands and Newcastle, supporting Carers and she currently runs several support groups.
Tracy is looking to set up a male support group. If you are interested in setting this up, or joining, please contact Tracy. Feel Free to drop in for a coffee and a chat with us. We also have access to the Internet. Sharon Jukes would happily help you to log on, etc. THE SUPPORT OUTREACH SERVICE The Team has been extremely busy over the last couple of months. We have expanded on the Launch of the Carers Café that we held in Hanley at the Hope Centre, because we had such a fabulous turn out. We are now facilitating Carers Cafés each week, in different neighbourhoods throughout the City. The aim of the Carers Café is to give Carers, and the cared for, the opportunity to access information and support in their caring role. Professionals who work with Carers are available to answer any questions Carers may have. We are also holding Carers' Clinics throughout the City and County visiting local Area Housing Offices, local libraries and the Central Out-Patients Department at the University Hospital. If you need any information, no matter how great or small, please come along to meet us. If you are housebound we can arrange a home visit.
CARERS OUTREACHPLEASE CONTACT: SHARON SMITH, OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR on 01782 834836
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUPS FOR 2008
You will be welcome at any of the meetings. For more information contact Tracy Harper on 01782 834836
North Staffs Carers Association, Unit 2, Burslem Enterprise Centre, Moorland Road, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Staffs, ST6 1JQ Tel: 01782 834 836 (answerphone out of hours) Fax: 01782 831 610 This web site is supported by funding from Staffordshire County Council and Stoke on Trent City Council.
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