Having a conversation with ‘Carers Hub’ is an opportunity to talk about your needs and feelings as a carer. This will help to better understand:

• how your caring role and responsibilities impacts on your life
• the support needed to help you to continue to provide care or to decide who should provide this if you are unable to continue or if it is not appropriate
• the impact your caring role is having on your own mental and physical health and wellbeing and family commitments as well as your work, education, and/or training needs
• if the person you support does not get any help from the council, you are still able to access support and advice as a carer

Support for you can take different formats such as:

• face-to-face contact
• peer-to-peer support
• on the telephone
• contact you with key information, such as emails or newsletters
• Worcestershire County Councils and the Carers Hub webpage 

Becoming a carer can often be overwhelming. You have extra responsibilities, yet you may not know where to turn for support. 

If you would like information and support regarding:

• your own well-being
• assessments you are entitled to
• how your support needs can be met

Please contact the Carers Hub helpline on 0300 012  4272. 

Helpline hours are:

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9:00am to 5:00pm
• Wednesday: 9:00am to 8:00pm

Alternatively, you can email mail@carersworcs.org.uk  or visit www.carersworcs.org.uk

Carers Assessments

The Care Act 2014 gives carers the same rights as the people they care for.  

This includes a right to an assessment of the impact caring may be having on your ability to have a life of your own, on your physical and mental health and wellbeing and to ensure you are caring safely. Consideration will be given to contingency arrangements and future planning for the caring role you are providing. A plan to support the carer will be devised.  

Carers assessments help identify if you have eligible needs. This might include financial support such as direct payments that can be used to help you pay for things which have been agreed in your support plan. You may also want to consider someone speaking up for you (advocacy).

For more information visit: Carers Assessments | Worcestershire Association of Carers

Carer's support plan

A carer's support plan is a plan of action for you, outlining what you can expect to happen following on from your carer's conversation with the Carers Hub. The plan will look at how support can be provided to ensure carers feel:

1. recognised and valued
2. a life of your own
3. support to be mentally and physically well
4. caring safely

Carer's review

The review offers an opportunity for you to consider whether your goals or outcomes and support identified during your carer's conversation and support plan are:

• still meeting your needs
• highlight any changes in circumstances
• ensuring that the caring role is sustainable, appropriate and the carers is still willing and able to continue caring

Reviews will be undertaken annually (as a minimum) and as and when requested or when there is a change in circumstance.

Carers Rights

As a carer, knowing your rights empowers you with information about what you’re entitled to. This helps you feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met – whether that be in the workplace or education, in accessing health or social care, or when interacting with other professionals or at home.

Your Carer Rights:

• The Right to unpaid Carers’ Leave
• The Right to request flexible working
• The Right to ask your GP to identify you’re a carer
• The Right (and choice) to request a free flu jab
• Protection against discrimination or harassment
• Requesting a Carer’s Assessment
• Being consulted when the person you care for is being discharged from hospital

You can find out more about your Carer Rights here: Carers Rights | Worcestershire Association of Carers

It is also important to recognise a carers right to care safely. We all have the right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. 

You can find more information here: Caring Safely - Safeguarding | Worcestershire Association of Carers.

Tell your GP you are a carer as they will be able to provide advice, support and may also be able to tell you about services that can improve your caring situation.

Looking after yourself as a carer is important. Here are some useful links to find guidance and support.

Resources for you to read and use

• NHS England, Age UK and partners have produced a practical guide to healthy caring
• as an older carer you can download plans and resources on planning for the future from Together Matters
• please read our Flu and COVID-19 guidance.

Local Charities and Organisations

• Worcestershire Association of Carers
• Healthy Minds Worcestershire service can support carers with their wellbeing, mental health and strategies for coping with stress and anxiety.
• The Bridge is a charity which offers a counselling service for carers for a small donation.
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Worcestershire's mental health relative and carers support group, Jigsaw
• Information and advice on a range of issues e.g., benefits (include disability benefits and carers allowance etc) Benefits, debt and money matters
• National Autistic Society Worcester branch. 
• Age UK dementia centres Age UK Wyvern
• Redditch Carers helpline: Carers Careline – Supporting Carers in the Redditch area
• Support for young Carers and young adult carers: YSS
• Worcestershire Parent and Carers Community www.parentcarers.org.uk
• Healthwatch Worcestershire
• Herefordshire and Worcestershire Involvement Network (HWIN) Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG - Ways to get involved
• Carers Reference Group relating to the Integrated Care system hw.personalisedcare@nhs.net
• NW Autism Parents Support Group North Worcestershire Autism Support Group (Facebook support group)
• Local organisations offering guidance can be found on the Community Services Directory where you can find the organisations closest to you by searching on your postcode

National Charities and Organisations 

• Age UK
• Carers UK
• Carers Trust
• Alzheimer’s Society
• Sense
• Independent Age
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Community Housing TECS have a whole range of products available which can make caring for someone more manageable

 Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

Your caring role may entitle you to apply for certain benefits. 

You can find out more here: Spotlight - Benefits | Worcestershire Association of Carers

Examples include:

• Carer's Allowance is a benefit paid by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
• Carer's Credit is not a payment of money, but instead it provides a credit to your national insurance record if you have had to work reduced hours because of your caring responsibilities
• you may be able to get a Council Tax Reduction if you are on a low income. To apply for this, you would need to contact your local district council benefits department

Other financial support that may be available to you

• GOV.UK to find out what benefits and allowances exist for carers, including carer's credit
• Carers UK for financial advice
• The GOV.UK Benefits calculator is an independent, free and anonymous benefits calculator to check what you could be entitled to
• Carers Trust: Support for working carers
• Carers UK: Work and career
• GOV.UK: Time off for family and dependants
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Your rights at work
• as a carer you may be eligible to apply for a Carers Scholarship Fund to help you study for an Open University qualification for free
• Bus pass application
• National Rail Railcard
• Worcestershire Association of Carers (WAC): Carer friendly shopping and Carer friendly places to go 

Local financial support

• Act on Energy provides free and impartial advice to householders and small businesses in Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and surrounding local areas
• Worcestershire Advice Network is a partnership of local advice agencies. We are working together to provide free confidential, impartial and independent advice to help you with everyday problems such as benefits, housing and debt
• Local organisations offering support on money matters can be found on the Money Matters on Community Services Directory

There is support available to help you to take a break. To do this we may be able to support carers to access replacement care (sometimes referred to as ‘respite care’). 

For more information about taking a break please visit our breaks from caring page.

What would happen if:

• you became ill?
• had an emergency to deal with?
• you had to go into hospital?
• you had an accident?
• you were no longer able to care?

Planning in advance and talking about who could provide care on your behalf makes an emergency easier to deal with.

Visit Emergency planning (Worcestershire Association of Carers).

Those at risk of going missing

Additionally, for carers of people who may be at risk of going missing (e.g. due to a mental health, learning disability or dementia), it is useful to collate key information about the person in advance.

This information can be given to the Police immediately in the event of them going missing, to save valuable time. 

This is referred to as the Herbert Protocol (West Mercia Police).

If you find it difficult to understand or find it hard to speak up, there are people who can act as a spokesperson for you.  

Visit Someone to speak up for you (advocacy).

Nearly 1 in 7 workers is a carer and close to 70% of carers have quit work or reduced their hours due to the stress of juggling work with care. Changing demographics and an aging population mean that 3 in 5 of us will end up looking after a loved one at some point in our lives.

Supporting the carers in your workforce isn’t just good for your employees; it’s good for business. Research shows that supporting staff to effectively juggle their home and work life, and continue in employment, holds valuable benefits for the business, including:

• staff retention
• reduced absence
• increased productivity
• improved morale

Carer Friendly Employer Network is a membership and accreditation scheme for businesses. We have joined the Care Friendly Employer Network to become a more carer friendly employer. 

For more information and contact details please visit: Carer Friendly Employer Network (Worcestershire Association of Carers).