Carer’s Leave Act 2023 will come into force on 6 April 2024!

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Final legislation passed in Parliament seals a groundbreaking new right for two million employees with unpaid caring responsibilities to take up to five days of Carer’s Leave.

It sets out the final working details of how employees will be able to request Carer’s Leave from their employer when the law comes into force on 6 April 2024. The regulations set out that employees can take Carer’s Leave in full or half days, or in a whole block of five days, and must give advance notice that is twice the length of time that needs to be taken.

The regulations for the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 make clear that employees in Great Britain with a long-term unpaid caring responsibility for a family member or friend will be able take up to five days of unpaid Carer’s Leave. They will have the same employment protections associated with other forms of family-related leave, such as protection from dismissal as a result of having taken the leave.

Read more at Carers UK’s website.

Current Vacancies – March 2024

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The Carers Centre is a growing and forward-thinking organisation with ambition to support an increasing number of children, young people and adults who provide unpaid care for a family member or friend due to disability, illness, addiction, or frailty.

We are currently looking to fill the following roles:

        • Impact and Reach Lead
        • Carer Support Worker (Falkirk)
        • Carer Support Worker (Clackmannanshire)
        • Short Breaks Activity Co-ordinator

Applications for these posts close on Monday 11 March 2024, except the Carer Support Worker (Clackmannanshire) post which closes on Monday 4 March 2024.

You can find out more about this role at our VACANCIES page! Or if you’d like to apply, click below!

Creative Breaks Grants Update – January 2024

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We regret that, due to limited funding for Creative Breaks grants, the 2023/24 Fund is now closed to new applications.Β  We will continue to process applications that have already been submitted.

We hope to re-open the Fund to new applications for the 2024/25 financial year in March 2024, and further information will be available on our website nearer the time.

Due to the increasing demand for Creative Breaks grants, there will be some changes to the eligibility criteria for this funding in 2024/25.Β  Unfortunately, this will include limiting the grants to carers who have not received a Creative Breaks grant within the previous 24 months.Β  Other eligibility criteria will apply and full details will be available when the fund re-opens.

Festive Opening Hours and Support Services

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The Carers Centre will be closed from 1 pm on Friday 22 December 2023 until Tuesday 2 January 2024 (inclusive), re-opening on Wednesday 3 January 2024.Β  Details of local support and emergency services are available below:

  • If you need an urgent Social Work service outwith normal office hours, you can contact:
  • For information about local health services which are available during the festive period, such as GPs and Pharmacies, please visit NHS Forth Valley – Know Who To Turn To When You Are Ill.
  • There is a Minor Injuries Unit is for anyone living in NHS Forth Valley. Contact NHS 24Β onΒ 111, day or night before attending the Minor Injuries Unit, or visit Minor Injuries Unit.
  • For an A-Z of health services over the festive period, you can go to NHS Forth Valley – A-Z of Winter Services.
  • Our friends at CVS Falkirk have also put together a Wellness in Winter page on their website with lots of useful information and links – CVS Falkirk – Wellness in Winter.
  • Whatever you’re going through, Samaritan’s will face it with you. They’re there for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – call for FREE on 116 123.

Finally, the staff and Board of the Carers Centre wish carers a happy, healthy and safe festive season, and we look forward to continuing to offer support in 2024.

Farewell Agnes

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It’s with mixed emotions that we share with you all that our Centre Manager Agnes McMillan has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the year.

Agnes started with the Carers Centre back in November 1999 as an Information and Development worker, working in the Clackmannanshire area.Β  In 2009 she became Project Manager for the Clackmannanshire service and the Carer Information Strategy project, before stepping into the Centre Manager role in October 2012 – and the rest, as they say, is history! Over the years Agnes has guided us to many, many achievements and has helped grow the organisation into what it is today.

Agnes will be missed by everyone here at the Centre and the wider carer community. So please join us in wishing all the best for a long and healthy retirement!

Current Vacancies – November 2023

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The Carers Centre is a growing and forward-thinking organisation with ambition to support an increasing number of children, young people and adults who provide unpaid care for a family member or friend due to disability, illness, addiction, or frailty.

We are currently looking to fill the roles of:

        • Carer Support Worker (30 hours per week)

Applications for these posts close on Monday 11 December 2023.

You can find out more about this role at our VACANCIES page! Or if you’d like to apply, click below!

Winter 2023 newsletter now available!

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The winter 2023 edition of the Carers Centre’s newsletter has now been sent out to all carers and organisations currently on our mailing list to receive information by post or email. If you haven’t received a copy of the newsletter, you can download the digital version by clicking below.

In this latest edition:

        • We bid a fond farewell to one of our longest serving members of staff 👋
        • We have information about our Christmas Lunches and ‘5 Days of Christmas’ Prize Draw 🎄
        • and much more!

If you’ve missed this edition but would like to sign up to our e-mailing list to receive future newsletters, you can do so here.

 

Creative Breaks Grants Update – September 2023

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All the funding made available to the Carers Centre from the Short Breaks Fund has now been allocated. New applications cannot be accepted at this time. We are working to secure further funding and hope to be able to reopen applications for Creative Breaks grants in December 2023. Please keep an eye on our website for further updates.

If you would like to discuss your caring role, or find out about what other short breaks opportunities are currently available, please call us on 01324 611510, and select either option 1 for Falkirk, option 2 for Clackmannanshire, or option 3 for Young Carers and Young Adult Carers.

Falkirk FC and the Carers Centre sign new deal!

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The Carers Centre has once again teamed up with The Falkirk Foundation and Falkirk Football Club to give those that are struggling the opportunity to come to games this season for free through the Support our Bairns initiative.

Thanks to the generosity of the Falkirk fanbase, carers in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire and their families will have the opportunity to attend Falkirk games at The Falkirk Stadium this season. 50 tickets will be made available to Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre, who will distribute them through the Respitality programme, ahead of every home game to give the carers and cared for in our community a chance to experience a match day and support their team without having to worry about the cost as well as the opportunity to have a break.

Falkirk Football Club matched what was raised, doubling the number of tickets and thus doubling the impact of the project and with gift aid added at no additional cost to fans, we were able to reach more of our community.

There is still an opportunity to be part of this as we are still raising funds for this initiative and if anyone would like to donate they can do so here: Donate with PayPal Giving Fund. Thank you to everyone who kindly donated to this worthwhile cause.

Interested in receiving matchday tickets for the 2023/24 season? Then sign-up here, or click the button below:

And if you’d like to hear what other carers had to say about receiving matchday tickets during the 2022/23 season, you can read our feedback report for last season here!

 

Current Vacancies – August 2023

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The Carers Centre is a growing and forward-thinking organisation with ambition to support an increasing number of children, young people and adults who provide unpaid care for a family member or friend due to disability, illness, addiction, or frailty.

We are currently looking to fill the role of:

        • Carer Support Worker (35 hours per week)

Applications for this post close on Monday 4 September 2023.

You can find out more about this role at our VACANCIES page! Or if you’d like to apply, click below!