55929 Carewaves AUTUMN 2018.Indd
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Issue 2 of 2018 www.carersinherts.org.uk A Newsletter for Family Carers and Caring Friends Find out about our free courses for carers on the back pages and about the impact our work, in Hertfordshire including training, has on carers on page 4. charity registration number 1085491 A warm welcome 3 Contents Firstly, I wanted to say hello and thank you to the carers, staff and volunteers I have met who have made me feel so welcome since August when I started Pages 4 – 7 News as the Interim Chief Executive, covering Michèle Stokes’ maternity leave. Page 8 Carer stories It has been a busy time and a steep learning curve but one I’ve enjoyed Page 10 Spotlight on … our Information and Carer Planning immensely. I have worked in senior management roles for over 20 years, Service primarily in community development and straddling health, education and social services. Page 12 Carers Support Hubs I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as Page 14 Young Carers I can over the next year and I hope you will see Pages 16 – 19 Carers Rights Day 2018 and the Carer’s Assessment me as a safe pair of hands. Page 20 Review of our Annual Event for Carers I was particularly moved by the work with young carers when I attended a Young Carers’ Page 22 Mentoring Council planning meeting and saw the young Page 24 Have your say (Involvement) people there grow in confidence during the Page 28 Our Crossroads Care Service day. Some young carers produced the collage, pictured, at an event. It’s an excellent example Pages 30 – 34 Fundraising of young carers working together to be Page 35 Carers’ Passport Update creative and enjoying a break from their caring Page 36 Volunteering responsibilities. Page 38 Useful Contacts It’s been a time of change for the charity as we have a new Chair and Vice Pages 39 & 40 Free courses and workshops Chair for our Trustee Board and the Young Carers’ Council – you can read about this on pages four and five. I’d like to thank Mike Ormerod for his hard work and dedication as Chair of the Board for the last three years and About Us Disclaimer wish Slava Budin-Jones, the new Chair every success in her new role. is the Every effort is made to ensure the Carers in Hertfordshire Carers often face changes in their caring roles and I appreciate how leading countywide charity for information in Carewaves is correct resilient they have to be to cope. It’s vital that carers receive the services unpaid carers looking after a loved at the time of publication. However, they are entitled to and that we as a support organisation are helping to one, friend, neighbour or relative Carers in Hertfordshire is not liable for highlight and facilitate this. In this issue you can learn about the support due to illness, frailty, mental health any incorrect information or errors. our Information and Caring Planning Service provides, our mentoring needs, disability or substance Don’t forget you can receive regular service and about the Carer’s Assessment. misuse. We support all carers, updates via email. Please call As always you can find out about our free courses children and adults, either living or 01992 58 69 69 if you would like to working in Hertfordshire. be added to our mailing list. and events, our upcoming Involvement Forums, Hub Carers do not have to live with the support groups and our plans to mark Carers Rights Join the online conversation! Day on Friday 30th November 2018. person they are looking after to Find us on Facebook and follow us receive help and advice. on Twitter @CarersinHerts Finally, if you need advice or want to get in touch For more information about our about our work, you can write, email or call us (see services or how you can support back page for our full contact details). our work, see Contact Us on the Red Cross trainer Steve Delaney, Interim Chief Executive back page. Front Cover Photo: James teaches carer Keith CPR at one Making Carers Count of our First Aid workshops. 4 News 5 Our impact on carers – the difference we make! Changes at Carers in Hertfordshire Every carer’s situation is unique to them, but one thing that is consistent It’s also been a time of change for us at Carers in Hertfordshire as our is that we at Carers in Hertfordshire are there to provide advice, training Board of Trustees has been refreshed and our Young Carers’ Council and a listening ear to carers. We support people in Hertfordshire that care has a new Chair and Vice Chair – Annie and Joshua. We also welcomed for someone, unpaid, due to illness, disability, age or substance misuse a new Interim Chief Executive, Steve Delaney, in August 2018, who is and those who live elsewhere but care for someone in the county. covering for Michèle Stokes whilst she is on maternity leave. We continue to reach more carers and now have more than 29,600 Our Board is a team of volunteer Trustees, many of them with experience children and adult carers registered with us. of caring for someone. The Trustees have a legal responsibility for Carole Whittle, our Health and Wellbeing Manager, said: “We cannot the charity, ensuring it does what it was set out to do. They also be complacent as it is estimated that there are over 115,000 carers in make decisions about how Carers in Hertfordshire is run, its financial Hertfordshire and we’d like to reach more carers who require support. We management and future developments. must also meet the challenge that when more carers register with us we After three years as Chair Mike Ormerod completed his term in increase and develop our services to meet carers’ needs, within limited September 2018 and is now Vice Chair. He will support new Chair Slava budgets.” Budin-Jones. We support carers in different ways – here are some examples of the impact we had on carers last year (April 2017 to end of March 2018). Slava has been a Trustee for two years and she said: “I feel privileged to have been elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees. I’m hoping my experience as an IT Director and as Chair of a secondary school Training governing body for many years will stand me in good stead for this role. Carers in Hertfordshire is a wonderful organisation and I will continue to 461 carers took up places support staff and volunteers to ensure its ongoing success.” at the 57 free courses and Break from caring workshops we provided. As a result: We have also said farewell to Alan Weston who was a Trustee for almost carers had support 96% carers felt more confident 148 three years and Chris Watts, who had been a Trustee since 2016 when through our Make a and 93% felt less isolated. Crossroads Care Hertfordshire South was incorporated into our charity. Difference Service, giving them an activity In September, 2018, we welcomed Lucinda Beesley to the Board. Lucinda or something to provide has a range of experience across the NHS, the Civil Service, local a break from caring and government, and charities in various aspects including strategy, stakeholder improve their health and engagement, communications and organisational transformation. wellbeing. Lucinda said: “I’m delighted to be given this opportunity to use my As a result professional and personal experience there was a to contribute to the continued success of the Carers in Hertfordshire family.” Support We now have eight Trustees – Slava, Mike, Lucinda, Mark 10,898 carers received advice Montgomery (Treasurer), Albert and guidance through our information and 23% reduction Binns, Andrew Mills, Janice Guerra carer planning service when they needed it. in depression. and Santo Mann. Steve Delaney and Slava Budin-Jones 6 7 Connecting carers to support during Carers Week and beyond New app helps young carers access information and support Thank you to everyone who helped with our events during Carers Week Children in a caring role can get help and advice through a free app – Young in June 2018. We were involved with 34 events – 4 more than in 2017. Carers in Hertfordshire – that was launched in June during Carers Week. The theme of the week was helping carers to be healthy and connected. The app is aimed at young carers aged 11+. It provides them with We connected with over 380 carers at our events and the information and information and advice, including where to get support and what to expect fundraising stands in the community. in the county’s hospitals with pictures of equipment and wards to make them feel more comfortable if the person they are caring for is admitted. During the week our Borehamwood Carers Support Hub met for the first time. We also held a Picnic and Play afternoon for our parent carers and The idea for the app came from some young carers who attended a their families, a pamper day and an information event where carers could young carers’ residential break we held in October 2017. speak to representatives from Hertfordshire County Council and other organisations to find out about different accommodation options for the Young carers were involved in developing the app, which was a joint person they care for. You can read more about this on page 24. project between Carers in Hertfordshire, East and North Hertsfordshire NHS Trust and their Carers Lead Jodie Deards and three students from Roma Mills, our Policy and Engagement Manager, said: “Carers Week is North Hertfordshire College, who created the programming.