Carer Support Team. Call: Website:

Transcription

1 Carer Support Team Call: Website: WCC /13

2 Carer Support in Wolverhampton This leaflet contains information about the support available for unpaid carers of adults in Wolverhampton.

3 Are you a carer? A carer is anyone who provides a significant amount of support for a relative, friend or neighbour on a regular basis without payment. Being a carer can mean many things, from supporting or keeping a check on someone to a full time caring role. Many people don t get the support they need because they don t recognise themselves as carers. The Carer Support team work with those carers who provide a regular and substantial amount of care and support. Being a carer can be a fulfilling experience but it can also have an effect on many aspects of your life including your health, personal relationships, family life, employment, finance and leisure time. Talking to someone who understands or other carers can help you to come to terms with your feelings and provide much needed support. Because caring is done mostly at home, or in the home of the person being cared for it can be an isolating experience. You may already be caring for someone or thinking about becoming a carer. It is important to think about the support you need to help you to manage this. What support is available in Wolverhampton? Wolverhampton s Carer Support team support carers in a number of ways including practical and emotional support. Where appropriate we can complete a carer s 2

4 Contact numbers for local Social Services Adult Assessment Adult Social Care Access Point Emergency Duty Team (for urgent help in an emergency out of hours) Independent Living Service Disability Team Learning Disability Physical and Sensory Disability Mental Health Intake Team The information in this leaflet can be made available on request in Braille, large print or audio format. If English is not your first language we can arrange for an interpreter to explain it to you. How can I compliment, comment or complain about services? We want to hear your views. You can tell us what we did well by making a compliment and what we didn t do so well by making a complaint. Sometimes you may just want to make a suggestion or comment. Either way you can contact the: Customer Relations and Complaints Manager Community, Wolverhampton City Council, Civic Centre, St Peter s Square, Wolverhampton WV1 1RT Phone:

5 Once completed please return this form to: Carer Support team Wolverhampton City Council Freepost MID Wolverhampton Wv1 1BR Data protection All information you provide will be kept in the strictest confidence and will only be shared with others when this is required to provide you with the necessary support or to determine your need for support 18

6 assessment to help us to identify your needs as a carer. Carer s Assessment Wolverhampton City Council considers a carer to be someone who provides a substantial amount of support to a person with a disability on a regular basis and does not receive payment for providing that care. The person you provide care for must live in Wolverhampton and be someone who is either in receipt of or entitled to a Community Care service. As a carer you are entitled to an assessment of your own needs. You can ask for an assessment even if the person that you care for chooses not to have an assessment in their own right. A Carer s assessment can be completed at the same time as the assessment for the cared for person or at a different time and place. The person you care for can ask for an assessment of their own needs by contacting the Adult Social Care Access Point. Carers may choose to have an assessment of their needs by the person assessing the cared for person or can choose to have a separate assessment by the Carer Support team. The person doing the assessment will help you to complete a questionnaire. This will help us to understand how much support you need as a carer as well as the things about your life that you would like to change or remain the same. This is your opportunity to help 3

7 us to understand your circumstances and for you to think about the aspects of caring that you find challenging or rewarding. The person doing the assessment will not automatically assume that you are able or willing to continue giving the same level of support. They will help you to continue caring for as long as you wish to do so and at a level that you are able to manage. After the assessment we will be able to offer support and may also be able to offer you services to help with your caring role. You will receive a copy of your assessment. If you feel that any of the information is not an accurate reflection of your current situation, or you 4 wish to discuss any of the information it contains you can contact the person that carried out your assessment. Self-Directed Support Wolverhampton City Council s Adult Social Care team believes personalisation applies to the carer as well as the person they care for. This will give you more flexibility, choice and control over how, when and where support is provided. This personalised approach aims to: Improve access to information, advice and support to give you more choice and control Ensure that you are fully involved in your assessment

8 Response Form (tear off slip) Your Personal details: Title: Surname: First name: Gender: Male Female Name of person you care for: Date of birth of person you care for: Address: Home phone number: Postcode Mobile Phone number: (please tick preferred method of contact) I would like someone to contact me I have already had a Carers Assessment I would like to receive a copy of the City Carer newsletter by Printed copy (tick as required) I would like to receive the monthly news bulletin by Printed copy (tick as required) My address is: Do you need any help communicating? Yes No Details: 17

9 For further information about support for carers in Wolverhampton contact the Carer Support team: Carer Support team Blossoms Fold (off North St.) Wolverhampton WV1 4HJ Phone: Text phone: Website: You could also complete the response form opposite, tear off and return to the address provided on page 18 and a support worker from the team will get in touch. 16

10 Help you to have more independence to make plans and decisions about your life Continue to safeguard adults who are at risk If you are eligible for a service then we will also: Help you to buy services which support you as a carer in the way that you choose Continue to monitor standards of care to ensure good quality services are available to you Help you to complete an assessment of your needs as a carer Where you have been offered a personal budget we will work out how much money 5 you can expect to receive (estimated budget) Help you to plan your support Help you decide how to manage your money (Personal Budget) Either arrange your support or give you information and advice about how to do this for yourself Review the support you receive and how it helps you to continue in your caring role. Planning my support Following the assessment we will confirm with you what services we can offer. Where we have agreed to provide ongoing services, for instance Home based respite, we will give you a personal budget. You can

11 then ask us to arrange services on your behalf or use the budget to pay for your own services in the form of a Direct Payment. We will also help you to develop a support plan to reflect what outcomes you want to achieve. You can write your own Support Plan or we can provide help if you want. You may also get help from someone you trust to assist you in the process. Getting my plan agreed How you intend to use and manage your Personal Budget will be set out in the plan. This will then need to be agreed by the council before you can receive your Personal Budget. This is because we must ensure that your plans will meet your needs and achieve the outcomes that are important to your wellbeing. Is it working for me? If you have a personal budget or receive on-going services we will make contact with you to make sure your plan is working, how often we do this will be agreed with you based on your circumstances. This is called a review. You can also ask for a review at any time if your circumstances change. You should contact us if: there are any problems with your support you are no longer able to manage the financial arrangements of your carer support you are no longer able to manage the practical aspects of arranging your support 6

12 bank holidays. They can be contacted on Leaflets giving information on what to do if you are being abused and information for the public are available upon request from the Adult Safeguarding Team. 15

13 unintentionally or occasionally deliberately. Sometimes without support carers may even get to a point where caring may become too much and they feel they may harm the person they are caring for. In these cases adult safeguarding services work with carers to help them raise their concerns, and provide support which is practical and proportionate and caters for the individual needs of carers and those they care for. The City s Adult Safeguarding Board recognises the vital role of carers and is particularly anxious to work with carers to see how it can prevent harm or abuse and would welcome hearing the views of carers. If you would like more information about adult safeguarding or would like to get involved with the Adults Safeguarding Board s work, you can contact the Safeguarding Team on What do I do if I am being abused or am worried that someone else is being abused? You need to share your worries with someone who can help. You can contact Adult Social Care Services on or if you are worried out of office hours via the Emergency Duty Team. Emergency Duty Team This team provides an emergency social work service out of office hours. This service runs each night and at weekends and 14

14 You no longer feel able to continue as a carer or to provide the level of support you currently provide Following your assessment we may be able to offer you a range of services, information and advice. Information for Carers The Information Officer based at the Carer Support team provides up to date information and advice about support available in Wolverhampton and nationally for carers. For example: information about events, changes in legislation, and signposting to other services. Carers can access this information via: Carer Support Centre where you can pick up information leaflets and talk to someone City Carer Magazine (twice a year in May and November) Monthly News bulletins (available by or you can have them posted on request) Carer Awareness online training course Carer s Week Events (June) and Carers Rights Day Events (December) The City carer magazine which is available at the Carer Support Centre and is also distributed through libraries, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, GP surgeries, hospitals and other 7

15 information points in the City. Carers can also request this to be sent to them personally either by or by post. Further information is available on our website at uk/carers If you would like to be added to the distribution list for the news bulletin or to receive the newsletter by post or , please contact the Information Officer on Carer Aware online training This is aimed at carers or professionals who work with carers. It is designed to be a resource for information as well as increase awareness about carer issues, legislation and the services and support available specifically for carers in Wolverhampton. You can access the course at gov.uk/carers and you will be able to print a certificate on completion of the training. Events and activities Information about events and activities in Wolverhampton that might benefit you as a carer is provided through the City Carer newsletter and also through the monthly news bulletins. If you have any ideas for events or would like to promote an event for carers please get in touch with our Information Officer. Support groups for carers Carer support groups are provided by a third party in partnership with the Carer Support team. These groups provide an 8

16 Safeguarding Adults Safeguarding is the term used to describe how adults who may be at risk because of their individual circumstances are helped to keep safe and protected from actual or potential harm or abuse. The Adult Safeguarding Team based within the City Council works alongside social work teams and agencies such as Police, Health, Probation, Housing and Service Providers. Abuse can happen in many different places such as: Someone s own home In a care home In a hospital In a day centre In a public place There are many different types of abuse such as: Physical abuse Emotional abuse Financial abuse Neglect and acts of omission Sexual abuse Discriminatory abuse Institutional abuse Carers play an important role to help identify abuse or neglect where they see it within the community or when they are visiting care settings. Sometimes, carers can be at risk of harm or mistreatment themselves due to their caring role. This may be from the person they are caring for or from the services or professionals who should be supporting them. This can happen 13

17 entitlement to Carers Allowance could be important to you as it will enable you to qualify for the Carers Premium or Carers Additional Amount. The Carers Premium increases the amounts of (or helps qualify for) Pension Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit. Even carers who work can claim Carers Allowance providing they earn less than 100 per week (after allowable deductions ). If you are caring for an adult then you will need advice before claiming Carers Allowance. This is because a claim for Carers Allowance can in some situations effect the amount of benefit the disabled person receives. A disabled person may not get the Severe Disability Premium or Severe Disability Additional Amount if someone is getting paid (as apposed to entitled to) any Carers Allowance. The Carer Support Team have helped lots of carers claim many thousands of pounds in unclaimed benefits. We are, however, aware that there are many more carers who are missing out because the rules are complex and claiming benefits is not always straight forward. For further information and advice what benefits you may be entitled to as a carer please contact the Carer Support Team. 12

18 opportunity to meet other carers and share experiences, and to get information and advice. Each group meets once a month and the groups are held in various locations. Carer Forum A forum is were carers in Wolverhampton can exchange ideas and share information. For more details about the groups or forums, contact the Carer Support Team. 9

19 Carer Emergency Card Scheme This scheme offers peace of mind for carers. Carers are given a credit card size card to carry in their purse or wallet to identify them as a carer. Each card has a reference number and a telephone number to call. If the carer is involved in an accident or emergency and is unable to look after the person they care for, the card would alert the emergency services to call the Adult Social Care number given on the card. This either enables friends or relatives to be contacted or where appropriate put in place the emergency respite plan. A seperate leaflet is available from the Carer Support team about this. Emergency Home Based Respite Care Carers can work with their support worker to put together an Emergency Respite Plan. This will contain contingency information for the disabled person if the carer is in an accident or emergency and cannot continue with their caring role. The plan will have details of who needs to be contacted in an emergency. If there is no one who would be able to help in an emergency then a provider commissioned by the Council would provide Emergency Home based respite for up to 48 hours. Home Based Respite Scheme Our home based respite scheme may be available to you where the person 10

20 you care for cannot safely be left alone. This will enable you to have some time for yourself or give you the opportunity to do something that you would otherwise not have the time or opportunity to do. Welfare Benefits Advice Carers are entitled to Welfare Benefits advice to ensure they are not missing out on any unclaimed benefits. Part of this will include looking to see whether the carer is entitled to Carers Allowance. Carers Allowance is a Department of Works and Pension benefit which is paid to people who look after someone (who gets either Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance, Care Component at the middle or higher rate or the Personal Independent Payment daily living component), irrespective of the age of the disabled person. The carer can be providing hands on (helping with day to day tasks) or supervisory care (to keep someone safe). You can claim Carers Allowance even if you are disabled yourself and need care. Indeed there are many situations where a disabled couple will claim Carers Allowance for looking after each other. If you are paid certain benefits (eg. State Retirement Pension, Incapacity Benefit or Contributory Employment and Support Allowance) then you will not be paid Carers Allowance because of the overlapping benefits rule. However, establishing an 11