Caring in Reading June 2018 Where to get information, help and advice to support you in your caring role Caring in Reading Getting help as a carer in Reading 3 Reading and West Berkshire Carers Hub 3 Carers support from social care services & your GP 4/5 Social care for the person you look after 6/7 Help with care and health costs 8/9 Getting a break from caring and carers support groups 10/11 Mental health and emotional wellbeing 12/13 Healthy Lifestyle 13 Carers grants, discounts and offers 14/15 Benefits for Carers and disability benefits 16/17 Help with housing costs and housing grants 18/19 Help with heating costs 20 Information and Advice and the Priority Service Register 21 Accessible holidays and days out 22 Help with travel and travel costs (plus accessible facilities) 23/24 Working and caring 25 Support for young carers 26 Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children safe 27 Supported learning, training and working 28 Learning disability services and Autism Support 29 Sensory needs services 30 Dementia services 30 Power of Attorney 31 End of life care 31 Drug and alcohol support 32 NHS Health Services 33 Useful contacts 34 This publication was correct at the time of going to print. For more copies call 0118 937 3747. 2 Getting help as a carer Caring can be rewarding but it can also be demanding - physically and mentally. This can have a huge impact on your own health and wellbeing. It can: .Isolate you from family and friends - .Put you more at risk of injury if you especially if caring makes it difficult need to help someone with walking for you to stay in touch with family or getting out of bed and friends or stay involved in your .Wear you out - especially if you don’t hobbies and interests get a break As a carer it is very important that you .Cause financial difficulties - for are aware of the help available to example if you have to give up work support you so you can continue to care .Make you feel guilty, angry, without putting your own health and frustrated or depressed emotional wellbeing at risk. You may not see yourself as one, but if you provide care and/or support to a relative or friend who is elderly and frail, physically disabled, has a learning disability, has mental health issues, has a history of substance misuse or has a serious health condition, then you are a carer. The Reading and West Berkshire Carers Hub offers a range of support for carers, to help you look after yourself as well as the loved one you care for. The help available includes: .Information, advice and support .One to one telephone support How to contact the Carers Hub .Signposting to other organisations Call the Helpdesk on 0118 324 7333. .Carers support groups offering a Our experienced support workers will chance to meet other carers, provide a personalised service to meet activities and outings and guest your individual needs. speakers Email: [email protected] .Free access to local leisure, health and well-being facilities Visit: www.berkshirecarershub.org .‘CarerSmart’ benefits and discounts Facebook.com/reading-and-west- .Free training and caring support Berkshire-carers-hub .Access to Carers breaks @RWB_Carers_Hub .Carers grants to help pay for essential equipment, a break from Reading and West Berkshire Carers Hub caring or to learn new skills provided by the Carers Trust and funded by .Peer support Reading Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, and the West Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Groups 3 Carers support from social care services If you are the parent/carer for a disabled child, or you provide unpaid care and/or support to a Reading* adult (18 years+), or if you are a young person with caring responsibilities, you may be eligible for Carers support from social care services. Carer’s Assessment Support for Carers All Carers have the right to a free Carer’s Depending on the outcome of your Assessment - even if the person you Carer’s Assessment you may be offered: look after doesn't want help from social .Advice and support to help you care services. manage caring and look after your The Carer's Assessment is an health and/or opportunity to focus on how caring .Information and advice about other affects you and identify the help you organisations and groups supporting need to support you in your caring role carers and/or and ensure your own health and .a Carer’s Personal Budget - if you wellbeing. have eligible support needs. If the person you care for has a social Carer’s Personal Budget (CPB) care assessment or review, you should This is money we can give you to pay for be invited to have a carer's assessment support and services to meet the eligible at the same time. This is often the needs identified by your carer’s simplest way to work out what is best for assessment. How much you get depends the whole family. on your individual needs. You won’t have Adult Carer’s Self-Assessment to pay anything towards your CPB. If you prefer, you can complete a Carer’s To be eligible for a CPB your carer’s Self-Assessment Form - visit assessment must show that caring is: www.reading.gov.uk/carersa or call for a • putting your physical and/or mental paper copy. health at risk or If you need help to complete your self- • preventing you from achieving one or assessment contact the Carers Hub on 0118 more of the following: 324 7333 or [email protected] • meeting your parenting/caring Contacting social care services responsibilities for children .0118 937 3747 if you look after a • looking after your home Reading adult • eating properly .0118 937 3641 if you are the parent/ • keeping in contact with friends carer of a disabled child and family • working, training, learning or The Young Carers Project volunteering supports children and young people • using community facilities/ under 18 who have extra services taking part in leisure responsibilities to help with a disabled activities sibling or parent with support needs - • and having or likely to have a see page 26 significant impact on your wellbeing 4 If you don’t agree with the outcome of Carers Emergency Plan your assessment talk to your social care worker. You can ask us to review Do you worry what might your assessment if your situation happen to the person you care changes. for if you were stuck in traffic, What can I spend my CPB on? involved in an accident, taken ill You can use it for things that will help or otherwise delayed? reduce the stress of caring. Your social Ask your social care worker about care worker will listen to your ideas, putting together an emergency plan or offer information and advice and work speak to the Carer’s Hub. with you to draw up a support plan for Your plan will set out who needs to be approval by our panel. contacted and what needs to be done In the past carers have spent their to ensure the person you care for is personal budget on things like: safe and properly supported. driving lessons to give them more freedom to get out and about Keep your “in case of emergency” contact numbers” in your phone. equipment to make things easier to manage at home - like a tumble dryer to cope with extra laundry or an internet connection to help stay in touch with others sport and leisure activities or Help from your GP complementary therapies to help the carer relax holidays/short breaks from caring to Caring can take a toll on your own make ongoing caring more health and wellbeing so it is especially manageable important to look after yourself. You can’t use your CPB to buy food or It is important to identify yourself as a clothes, to pay utility bills or to buy carer to your GP practice so they are replacement/respite care for the person aware of your situation and can offer you look after (if this is needed it will be extra support if necessary. included in their support plan). Register with your GP as an unpaid carer and ask them about the help they How will you get the money? can offer you. Once your support plan is approved we will transfer the money to you as a Carer’s Direct Payment. Supporting you by supporting the person you care for For comprehensive advice for carers Social services also take account of visit www.nhs.uk/carers your needs as a carer when deciding or call the Carer’s Direct Helpline how much support to offer the person you care for (see page 6) 0300 123 1053 The person you care for may have to pay for these services (see page 8) 5 Social care for the person you look after Reading Borough Council provides community based social care services for families with a disabled child and adults who are dependent on others for care and/or support because they are older, have a physical or learning disability, have a visual and/or hearing impairment, a long-term illness, mental health needs or are dependent on drugs and alcohol. The Children & Young People’s Adult Social Care Services Disabilities Team (CYPDT) Reading Adult Social Care Services CYPDT supports children and young supports adults (18 years+) who live within the Borough of Reading and who, adults (up to 25 years) with: because of their age, a disability or long- .severe or profound physical, learning term health problem (including a mental or sensory disability health problem) are finding it .long-term illness, life threatening increasingly difficult to take care of condition or complex medical needs themselves and/or stay in touch with .severe communication or behavioural family and friends.