Support for Carers
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Support For Carers In Stockport
Introduction
This leaflet is about the help and support available to you as a carer. You are a carer if you provided help and support to someone, usually a relative or a friend, who could not manage without help because a disability or health problem. This is not the same as someone who provided care professionally or through a voluntary organisation.
This leaflet will tell what will happen when you contact us about your support needs. It will help you to understand what support is available and who is eligible for help from Stockport Council. It also gives you information about where to find organisations that can provide service, support and activities to help you to maintain your independence and wellbeing. Support and services to keep well
Looking after your health and wellbeing is one of the most important things you can do; to help you cope with our caring responsibilities and reduce your own risk of needing health and social care services.
Having a break and joining in with activities in your local community can improve your physical and mental health. You can find out about activities in your area by contacting Flag (see next page for details), or visiting the websites below.
You can find information about your health and healthy choices from the NHS, visit the NHS choices website Web: www.nhs.uk/pages/homepage.aspx
Find out what is happening in your local area
Stockport Council events page Web: http://www.stokport.gov.uk/events/
We are Stockport Web: http://wearestockport.co.uk/ The NHS Health Check programme aims to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and certain types of dementia. Everyone between the ages of 40 and 74, who has not already been diagnosed with one of these conditions or has certain risk factors, will be invited (once every five years) to have a check to assess their risk, and will be given support and given support and advice to help them reduce or manage that risk.
Web: www.healthcheck.nhs.uk
Streetlife Streatlife is a place for every member of the community- individuals and organisations – to discover and local issues and initiatives. The one thing all Streetlife users have in common is that they care about their local area, and want to build a better connected community. Web: www.streetlife.com/ Information and advice
Information and advice gives you the facts about care and support, tells you the choices available and gives you the knowledge to help you to make decisions.
Anyone can contact us for information and advice. If you look after an adult (who lives in Stockport) and appear to have any level of need, we will also carry out a carers assessment.
There may also be support and services available for the person you care for which will help you – thins like respite care, short term support, equipment and home adaptations, and telecare (monitoring and response equipment). We can help you think about support that will benefit both of you by discussing both of your needs and wishes together (if the person you care for agrees to be involved). More information about support for the person you care for can be found in our leaflet ‘Social Care for Adults’.
If you are experiencing difficulties then please get in touch. The different ways that you can contact us are on the back of this leaflet.
There is information and advice available to help you if: You want to find out what support is available to help you with your caring role; You want to find out what activities are in your area to help you stay well, keep active and get involved in your in your local community; You want to find out what is available to help support the person you care for; You are worried that some is at risk of abuse or neglect. My Care My Care
Stockport Council’s adult social care website has lots of information to help you make decision about support for you and the person you care for. The marketplace area has details of services, support and activities that can help you and the person you care for.
Web: www.mycaremychoice.org.uk
FLAG (For Local Advice and Guidance)
FLAG is an independent service for Stockport residents, that puts people in needs of practical or emotional help and guidance in touch with those local organisations best able to provide it.
Address: Graylaw House, Chestergate, Stockport SK1 1LZ Phone: 0161 474 1042 Web: www.stockportflag.org.uk Other places you can get advice and support
Advice on benefits for carers As a carer there are a number of benefits that you may be entitled to, for example Pension Credit, Carers Credit or Carers Allowance. There are also other ways in which you can be supported financially, for example the Council Tax Disability Reduction Scheme or by having a Leisure Key card.
Useful contacts: Carers UK Web: www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/financial-support
Welfare Rights Address: Fred Perry House, Edward Street, Stockport SK1 3XE Phone: 0161 218 1300 Web: www.stockport.gov.uk/welfarerights
Stockport Direct Local Centres For details of your nearest centre offering information, advice and access to Council services Phone: 0161 217 6009 Web: www.stockport.gov.uk/stockportdirect Help from your GP
GPs recognise the potential health risks to carers, and so can offer appropriate support. If you want your GP to know that you are a carer, ask them to include you on their register.
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) Address: Fred Perry House, Edward Street, Stockport SK1 3XE Phone: 0844 826 9800 Web: www.stockportcab.org.uk/ https://sailadvice.org.uk/
Signpost Stockport for Carers Address: The Heaton Centre, Thornfield Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport SK4 3LD Phone: 0161 442 0442 Web: www.signpostforcarers.org.uk
Oasis for Carers Address: 1 Adswood Lane West, Stockport SK3 8HT Phone: 0161 292 7270 Web: www.evron.org.uk Long term support
How you can access support If the person you care for lives in Stockport, then we can help you to find support to meet your needs. This could be a local carers group, practical support or training to help with your caring role, or activities to help you relax and have a break.
We can also offer you a carers’ assessment. This will look at how caring affects your life, and will help you work out how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family, and what might help you with your caring responsibilities. Your wellbeing is at the heart of the assessment. As a result of the carers assessment you may be eligible for support from us.
You can have a joint assessment with the person you care for to look at your whole situation, or a separate assessment, if you prefer. How we decide if you are eligible for support During the assessment, we will agree your needs, and the things you want to achieve.
In order to receive support from the Council, your needs must meet the national eligibility criteria for carers support. We will consider your needs using these, and when a decision has been made about your eligibility, we will provide you with a copy of the decision.
On the next page we have listed the criteria we will use as part of the assessment to decide if you are eligible for support.
National Eligibility Criteria for carer support The national eligibility criteria for carers looks at three things:
1. If your needs providing necessary care for an adult
2. If your physical or mental health is deteriorating or at risk of doing so;
Or If you are unable to achieve one or more of the eight outcomes:
a. Carrying out any caring responsibilities you have for a child b. Providing care to any other persons for whom you provide care
c. Maintaining a habitable home environment
d. Managing and maintaining nutrition
e. Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships
f. Engaging in work, training, education or volunteering
g. Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community
h. Engaging in recreational activities
3. If not achieving these outcomes has a significant effect on your wellbeing
Your needs are only eligible when they meet all three of the conditions.
Following the assessment we will help you to take the next steps. We will help regardless of whether you are eligible or not, but the help you receive may be different. Your Personal Budget
If you are a carer who is eligible for support, we will use the information you gave us during your assessment to work out an indicative personal budget. This is the approximate amount that we think might be needed to meet your needs. The exact amount will not be agreed until later.
A personal budget is a statement that shows the cost of meeting your needs. Your personal budget will form part of your support plan, and this will usually be a direct payment in the form of a pre-payment card. You will not have to pay anything towards the cost of your support.
How you can use your Personal Budget
You can spend your Personal Budget flexibly on things that meet your eligible needs and outcomes as identified during your assessment.
Below are some examples of things that you could spend your Personal Budget on: Paying someone to help with everyday tasks such as shopping, gardening or cleaning; A holiday or short break; Gym membership; Buying equipment, for example a computer; Finding a job or volunteering. However, your Personal Budget cannot be used to purchase the following: Care and support for the person you care for (including respite care, residential or nursing care); Anything prohibited by the council, for example gambling, alcohol tobacco or paying off debts. Support Planning
The support planning process can help you to think about and decide how your needs will be met, and also how your aspirations and things that are important to you can be fulfilled.
You will receive as much, or as little, help as you need to choose the support you want to meet your agreed outcomes.
We will give you information about the different services and support that are available locally, including free and low cost services from local independent, voluntary and community organisations.
Reviewing your support
If your needs or circumstances change and you need more support, then you can contact us at any time for a re- assessment and a review. If we don't hear from you then we will contact you, usually after 12 months, to arrange a review of your needs and support, and to plan ahead for the future.
We will look at whether your support is helping you to meet your needs, manage any risks and helping you to achieve your goals. If you have a Direct Payment, we will check how you have spent this money. If your needs or goals appear to have changed, you will be supported to access short-term support or a reassessment of your needs. Keeping people safe
Disability, illness or frailty means that many adults have to rely on other people to help them in their day-to-day living, sometimes leaving them vulnerable and at risk of abuse. Abuse can be deliberate, unintentional or accidental and can take many forms. It can be:
Physical, for example hitting or pushing; Psychological or emotional, for example shouting, bullying or making threats; Sexual, for example inappropriate touching or exploitation; Financial, for example taking money or property; Neglect, for example not caring for someone properly, depriving someone of food or drink; Discriminatory, for example on the grounds of race or religion; Domestic violence, whether physical, sexual or psychological or so called “honour” based violence Modern Slavery
What to do if you suspect abuse
If you suspect abuse or you know of a worrying situation, please do not ignore it. The Adult Social Care Team is the first point of contact for general enquiries and concerns (see back page for contact details). Or you can contact the Police by phoning 101, or 999 in an emergency situation. What to do if you’re not happy
We welcome compliments, comments and suggestions and will deal quickly with any complaints.
If you are not happy with your assessments, you can ask the person who carried out the assessment, or their manager, to look at the assessment again and reconsider the decision made. In the first instance, please contact your social care worker or their manager. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact our Quality Team and they will work with you to help resolve any issues.
If you have a concern or complaint about quality of care we always recommend that you speak to the care provider first. In the majority of cases they will be able to resolve the matter. If you are still not happy, the Quality Team will respond promptly and advise you.
Phone: 0161 217 6019 Email: [email protected] Address: Quality Team, Stopford House (4th Floor), Piccadilly, Stockport SK1 3XE How to get in touch
You can contact the Adult Social Care team in the following ways:
Phone: 0161 217 6029 Fax: 0161 217 6022 Minicom: 0161 217 6024 Email: [email protected] Web: www.mycaremychoice.org.uk
In an emergency: Contact the Out of Hours Service on 0161 718 2118 They operate Monday to Thursday, from 4.30pm to 8.30am, Friday 4pm to 8.30am Monday (24 hour cover on Bank Holidays)
If you would like this leaflet in large print, Braille or audio format, please contact: Phone: 0161 474 4614 Fax: 0161 474 4666 Minicom: 0161 217 6024 Email: [email protected]
A130 | January 2015