Creative Breaks Grants Update – September 2023

Posted by Admin on 7th September 2023

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!

Posted by Admin on 21st August 2023

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!

Falkirk Carers Strategy 2023 – 2026

Posted by Admin on 10th July 2023

Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership have now published the updated 2023 – 2026 version of the Falkirk Carers Strategy.

The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 became law on 1 April 2018 and places duties on Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership and Falkirk Council to support unpaid carers in their caring role. These duties include preparing a carers strategy with particular focus on the local area. This local strategy supports the delivery of the National Carers Strategy, is reviewed every three years, and is for all Adult Carers and Young Carers in Falkirk.

You can access the Carers Strategy and other relevant documents by visiting: falkirkhscp.org/publications/#carers

Carers Centre Manager’s Report 2022/23

Posted by Admin on 7th June 2023

We are pleased to present our annual report which tells the story of all that the Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Carers Centre has delivered during 2022/23, including some pictures which show the impact and value of our work.

We will keep on striving to work hard and support carers of all ages and ensure that carers in Falkirk and Clackmannanshire are informed, supported, and informed.

Summer 2023 newsletter now available!

Posted by Admin on 12th May 2023

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.

Easter Weekend and Support Services

Posted by Admin on 4th April 2023

The Carers Centre will be closed from Friday 7 April 2023 until Monday 10 April 2023 (inclusive), re-opening on Tuesday 11 April 2023. 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:
- Clackmannanshire Emergency Social Work on 01259 45 00 00
- Falkirk Emergency Social Work on 01324 50 60 70
For information about local health services which are available, such as GPs and Pharmacies, please visit NHS Forth Valley – Know Who To Turn To When You Are Ill.
There is a Minor Injuries Assessment helpline for anyone living in NHS Forth Valley. Contact 01324 566130 or visit NHS Forth Valley – call mia.
For an A-Z of health services, you can go to NHS Forth Valley – Local Services Finder.

Young Carers Action Day!

Posted by Admin on 15th March 2023

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

Festive Opening Hours and Support Services

Posted by Admin on 20th December 2022

The Carers Centre will be closed from 1 PM on Monday 26 December 2022 until Tuesday 3 January 2023 (inclusive), re-opening on Wednesday 4 January 2023. 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:
- Clackmannanshire Emergency Social Work on 01259 45 00 00
- Falkirk Emergency Social Work on 01324 50 60 70
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 Assessment helpline for anyone living in NHS Forth Valley. Contact NHS 24 on 111, or visit NHS Forth Valley – call mia.
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.

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 2023.

Staff training day

Posted by Admin on 15th December 2022

Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre will be closed on Friday 16 December 2022 for a staff training day. We will re-open on Monday 19 December 2022.

We’re hiring!

Posted by Admin on 24th November 2022

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: