Summer 2022 newsletter now available!

The summer 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 bring you an update on Young Carers Action Day 2023! 🎉
        • We have staff info and updates, with interviews as well as all the comings and goings in the last 6 months 🔄
        • As well as info about our plans for Carers Week 2023, including our 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.

 

Young Carers Action Day!

It’s Young Carers Action Day!

Young Carers Action Day (YCAD) raises awareness about young carers (YCs) and young adult carers (YACs), the challenges they face and the support they need. This year’s theme is Make Time for Young Carers which highlights two things that are really important for YCs and YACs:

  • The need for professionals and responsible adults to make more time to listen to young carers and young adult carers explain the challenges they face, so we can better understand the support young carers and young adult carers actually need.
  • Once they understand the sort of support that’s required, responsible adults then need to make time to put that support in place.

For YCAD this year we’ll be Making Time for Young Carers with some exciting group activities! We’ll also be sharing some brilliant stop motion animations created by our Young Carers’ Voice group. 

You can find more information and resources on YCAD at Carers.org/YCAD or get involved on social media using the hashtag #YoungCarersActionDay

Summer 2022 newsletter now available!

The summer 2022 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 recevied a copy of the newsletter, you can download the digital version by clicking below.

In this latest edition:

      • We’re sharing the story of Stewart, a carer in Clackmannashire, and his carer support journey
      • We have updates from our Young Carers Project
      • Information about our monthly Professionals Afternoon
      • 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.

 

Health & Social Care Training

Do you want to represent your community and inform how health and social care is delivered in Falkirk?

We are looking for carers and people who use health and social care services to become representatives and join a range of groups to help ensure that lived experience is central to planning and decision making.

Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership have teamed up with key organisations to deliver free training so you have everything you need to take part, feel supported and share your ideas, and together we can design services that reflect your needs.

What can I expect from the training?

  1. Once training is completed, individuals will feel empowered.
  2. The training will be easily digestible and relevant to the individual’s area.
  3. The training will develop on new and existing skills of the individual.
  4. Individuals will have the ability to represent their own views while remaining objective and able to speak on other people’s behalf.
  5. Individuals will improve their conversation/decision-making skills.
  6. Those who participate will be involved in follow-up discussion to help frame future training sessions.
  7. Individuals will feel motivated to carry on engagement and make a positive difference in their area.

Who is this training suitable for?

  • People with lived experience of health and social care.
  • People with an interest in health and social care.
  • People who want to join a supportive community.
  • People who are willing to share their ideas and experience to create positive change.
  • People who are willing to take on an advocacy role and represent their wider community.
  • People who want to make a difference to improve health and social care in their communities.

When will the training be delivered?

  • Wednesday 27 April, 10.30am – 1pm
  • Wednesday 4 May, 10.30am – 1pm
  • Wednesday 11 May, 10.30am – 1pm

Each session will include a 15-minute break. You will also have opportunities to ask questions and to get involved in discussions.

How do I sign up?

Registration is now open so click the link here to book your space.

What is the training like?

When we delivered this training for carer representatives in March 2021, they found the training informative and enjoyable. They told us:

  • “Really interesting course.”
  • “Good to hear about how things work in social work, it seems complex.”
  • “I hadn’t seen myself as a carer but now see myself as an advocate to other carers.”
  • “Course has good content and timings were good.”
  • “I learned a lot – found the negotiation part really interesting.”
  • “Gave me confidence to speak out.”

Do I have to become a representative if I sign up to the training?

There is no commitment to join as a carer or service user representative when you sign up for the training sessions. This training is your opportunity to learn how you can make a meaningful contribution to the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, as well as meet other people just like you.

If you decide to become a representative, then ongoing support will be provided so you can get the most out of your experience.

Do I need any special skills or qualifications?

You don’t need any prior qualifications or skills. We will cover everything you need to know in the training.

I want to get involved. How do I sign up again?

Complete the registration form by clicking the link here. We know you have opinions about health and social care, so this is your opportunity to shape how we deliver our services. Further information will be provided in due course.

If you have any questions, email HSCPComms@falkirk.gov.uk.

We hope to see you at the training.

Parent Carers Forum (Falkirk) Consultation

Parent carers in the Falkirk area told us last year they would benefit from a dedicated Parent Carers Forum in which they could come together to have an opportunity to have a say in services such as health and social care, provisions and support which affect the child, them as a carer and the wider family.

To help roll this out, we are hosting an informal chat on Wednesday 9 February from 6pm7pm via Microsoft Teams. All parent carers who are interested and wish to participate in the Parent Carers Forum are invited!

For more info or to get involved please contact Susan on susandocherty@centralcarers.co.uk or by phoning 01324 611 510 (option 4).

Carers Week 2021 – Manager’s Report 2020-21

The last year has certainly brought about more unusual challenges than we might have expected going into 2020!

Here’s a review of what we’ve been able to carry out since the beginning of the pandemic, and the ways in which we’ve adapted to continue helping as many carers as possible!

Carers Week 2021!

“This year, carers across the country are continuing to face new challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support.

 

They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding. So during Carers Week, we’re coming together to help Make Caring Visible and Valued.” ~ www.carersweek.org

 

Carers Week 2021 will run from Monday 7 June until Sunday 13 June. To celebrate Carers Week, we have put together an extensive programme of events running throughout the week, including: The Big Carers Week Raffle!, a Cool Creatures Watch Party, and more! To find out more about what’s happening, click this link!

Please note, all of our Carers Week activities and groups will use Zoom, so if you would like any help with accessing Zoom, please contact us on 01324 611510 (option 4) or email centre@centralcarers.co.uk and one of the team will be happy to help.

For carers who have no access to the internet, our support workers are here daily and available to help with any information, advice or support you need as a carer. Please call us if you need to talk on 01324 611510.

Patricia Cassidy, Chief Officer of Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership said: “I hope this Carers Week not only celebrates the invaluable work of unpaid carers across the Falkirk area, but also helps raise awareness of the many different ways someone can be a carer.

 

“Many people don’t realise the support they provide for their family member, close friend or even their neighbour, could make them a carer. I would encourage everyone to share the campaign’s messages, and if they see themselves in the stories of carers, please access the wonderful support provided by the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre.

Community and Dementia: Creating Better Lives in Forth Valley

STORYTELLING SESSIONS

On 27 May 2021, Life Changes Trust are hosting a conference called ‘Community and Dementia: Creating Better Lives in Forth Valley’.  It’s an opportunity for local people to share what it feels like to live in Forth Valley, when you live with dementia, care for a loved one with dementia, or work with people with dementia and/or unpaid carers.  It is also an opportunity for local groups, organisations and decision-makers to respond.

Life Changes Trust are inviting you to say what matters to you, as someone with dementia or as an unpaid carer, by attending a special session run by the Village Storytelling Centre and held before the conference.   What you and others tell us will be at the heart of the conference.

The storyteller uses stories and imaginary characters to make it easier for people to talk about dementia in a way that doesn’t feel too personal.  It is an opportunity for your voice and your thoughts to be heard, exactly as you want them to be.  Whatever you want to say is added to that of others taking part and, together, you create a hypothetical character – a person with dementia or an unpaid carer.  The ‘characters’ represent what it is like to live in Forth Valley with the experiences you have given the characters.

The storytellers analyse the conversations that have created these ‘characters’.  We draw out priorities which will be shared at the conference for discussion and responses.  The priorities will be presented with some quotes (anonymised) taken from the sessions.  You can see an example of this, delivered by Shona Cowie from the Village Storytelling Centre at the Edinburgh & Lothians event in November 2020.

There is a session for people with dementia, another for unpaid carers and a third for workers and volunteers providing support to people with dementia and unpaid carers.

Posted on behalf of Life Changes Trust

Carers Week 2020!

“This Carers Week, we’re recognising that now, more than ever before, it’s time for us to come together and help Make Caring Visible. Everyone has a part to play in making sure carers are seen, heard, and understood; and helping them to get the support they need to care.”

The 2020 Carers Week will run from Monday 8 June until Sunday 14 June. To celebrate Carers Week, we have put together an extensive programme of events running throughout the week, including: The Big Carers Quiz!, a Cool Creatures Watch Party on Facebook, and more! To find out more and to view our full programme, click this link!

Please note, all of our Carers Week activities and groups will use Zoom, so if you would like any help with accessing Zoom, please contact us on 01324 611510 or email centre@centralcarers.co.uk and one of the team will be happy to help.

For carers who have no access to the internet, our support workers are here daily and available to help with any information, advice or support you need as a carer. Please call us if you need to talk on 01324 611510.

Forum Feb 2020 agenda image

Falkirk Carers Forum on Wednesday 19 February 2020

Please join us for our next meeting of the Falkirk Carers Forum on

  • Wednesday 19 February 2020 at Trinity Church, Falkirk
  • 10.45 am to 1 pm followed by a buffet lunch

The meeting will include a presentation by Marina Harper from Caesar & Howie on the Accident Claims Service, which, in conjunction with Age Scotland, seeks to give older people in Scotland a fairer service when it comes to making a personal injury claim. There will also be an opportunity for carers to discuss and request future forum topics and speakers. A link to the meeting agenda can be found below.

To book a place please email susandocherty@centralcarers.co.uk or telephone the Centre in Falkirk on 01324 611 510.

February 2020 Carers Forum Agenda.