We’re looking to fill three full time positions for our Young Carers and Young Adult Carers Team:
Applications close on Monday 27 September!ย
You can find out more about the roles and how to apply at our VACANCIES page!
In the last few months we have implemented a new telephony system, which we hope will enable us to better support you when you get in touch.
Moving forward, ALL calls, including from those living in Clackmannanshire, should be made to 01324 611 510. Once you call us, you will be given 4 options to pick from to access the appropriate team:
If you need to call us when we’re closed, you will be given the option to leave a voicemail message. If you do, please leave you name, phone number, and reason for calling – someone will call you back as soon as possible!
📸 by Museums Victoria on Unsplash
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!
“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.ukย 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: โI 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.
โMany people donโt 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 campaignโs messages, and if they see themselves in the stories of carers, please access the wonderful support provided by the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre.
On 27 May 2021, Life Changes Trust are hosting a conference called ‘Community and Dementia: Creating Better Lives in Forth Valley’.ย 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.ย 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. ย ย 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.ย It is an opportunity for your voice and your thoughts to be heard, exactly as you want them to be.ย 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.ย 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’. ย We draw out priorities which will be shared at the conference for discussion and responses.ย The priorities will be presented with some quotes (anonymised) taken from the sessions.ย 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
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland have launched a self-registration service for the COVID-19 vaccination for eligible unpaid carers who have not already been given an appointment.
You are eligible for vaccination at this stage and should register if all of the following statements apply to you:
To register for a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine as a carer, please visit: https://www.nhsinform.scot/carersregister
For more information, click here to download the FAQ
Carers cards are usful tools for carers to help you be more easily identified as someone who provides care. Since the COVID-19 lockdown began, we have continued to issue Carers Cards to carers in a digital format.
Carers who would like a Carers Card, and who have not had one previously, will be issued with a digital Carers Card, specifically designed to be used on your phone for the duration of the COVID-19 lockdown.
To receive a digital Carers Card, please complete the digital referral form linked below:
Click here to complete referral form
If you have previously had a Forth Valley Carers Card that has now expired, please complete the Contact Us form on our website, and ask to be emailed with a letter that can be used alongside your existing expired card.
If you are working with someone who does not have access to the internet or an email address, please ask them to contact the number below.
For further information, please contact us on 01324 611510 and leave a message, or email centre@centralcarers.co.uk.
The Carers Centre staff team has been working from home providing support to local carers by telephone, email and online since March.ย The service will close from Friday 25 December 2020 until Monday 4 January 2021 (inclusive), re-opening on Tuesday 5 January 2021.ย Details of local support and emergency services are available below:
Finally, the staff and Board of the Carers Centre wish carers a happy, healthy and safe festive season and look forward to continuing to offer information and support in the New Year.
Instead of our usual Christmas Carers Lunch, this year we are going to run 12 Days of Christmas Raffle with 12 prizes being given out daily from 1 December.
This is free to enter! All carers have to do is register by phone or email us, making sure to include their contact telephone number.
Prizes include: gift vouchers for local businesse and local experiences!
Keep an eye on our social media for more information!
Merry Christmas from the team at Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre 🎅🎄
Call: 01324 611510
Email: centre@centralcarers.co.uk
The Scottish Government has produced a face covering exemption card, to support those who are unable to wear one to feel more confident and safe when accessing public spaces and using public services.
The face covering exemption card is branded with the Healthier Scotland and NHS Scotland logos under the FACTS for a Safer Scotland campaign.
A physical card can be requested from Disability Equality Scotland to wear on a lanyard or hold in a wallet, while a digital card is also available to be displayed on a phone, tablet or other device.
Physical and digital cards are available to request online from 29 October at www.exempt.scot or via a free helpline on 0800 121 6240.