Carers & Caring
Looking after family, partners or friends
Carers look after family, partners or friends in need of help because they are young, ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide is unpaid.
The UK National census taken in 2001, for the first time, included questions about caring responsibilities. The results were astonishing. There are over 5.2 million carers in England and Wales, with over a million providing care for more than 50 hours a week.
Caring is a difficult and often unrecognised job. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of organisations offering help and support to carers; the links below offer sound advice and support. If you have been helped by a group not listed here please let us know so that we can introduce them to others.
Direct Payments for Care - A Different Way to Get Support
Direct Payments are a different way to get support from Social Services. Instead of receiving arranged care or support from Social Services individuals can have a cash payment and make their own arrangements. Direct Payments let the individual decide how they want their needs to be met. For example, individuals can choose what support they want, when they have it and who provides it.
To have direct payments an individual must:: Have an assessed need that Social Services would usually help with.
- Have a disability or Mental Health issues.
- Be over the age of 16 years (under 16's can have the direct payments paid to the person who has parental responsibility)
- Be an informal unpaid carer
For further information, please use the following links
A guide to receiving direct payments from your local council (from the Department of Health - PDF, 272k) www.dh.gov.uk
An easy guide to receiving direct payments - giving you the choice and control (from the Department of Health - PDF, 783k) www.dh.gov.uk
Barnsley Social Services, Direct Payments Development Officer 01226 772396
Doncaster Social Services: 01302 737391
Rotherham: 01709 823908/09
Sheffield: Tel: 0114 27 35461
Government Helplines
Caring for Carers website
In Caring about Carers the Government made a commitment to provide details of the services or benefits affecting carers on the Internet. We hope that this site will be useful to carers, to carers' workers and voluntary organisations and others. There is a feedback form if there are any comments you would like to make.
www.carers.gov.uk
Department for Work & Pensions
All the latest information on Carers Rights. Information on financial help and benefits. Claim Carers Allowance online.
www.dwp.gov.uk
NHS Direct Online
This is an excellent health advice site. Worth a look even if you don't need it at the moment. The site also helps you to find your nearest Doctors, dentists, opticians and pharmacies
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Carers Support Groups
Carers UK
Carers UK is a carer-led organisation working for all carers.
www.carersuk.org
Carer's Christian Fellowship
The Carers Christian Fellowship aims to offer a link and support for Christians who are caring in some way for a relative, friend or neighbour.
www.carerschristianfellowship.org.uk
Crossroads Caring for Carers
The objectives of Crossroads are to give Carers time to be themselves, by enabling them to take a much needed short break from their caring responsibilities.
www.crossroads.org.uk
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive carers support services in the UK. Through its unique network of 122 local independently managed Carers' Centres and interactive websites, Carers.org and Young Carers Net, The Trust currently provides quality information, advice and support services to almost a quarter of a million carers, including 13,000 young carers.
www.carers.org
Princess Royal Trust Sheffield Carers Centre http://www.carers.org/Sheffield
Contact a Family
For families with disabled children. Some publications have been translated into a total of 10 different community languages. The telephone 'Helpline' offers an interpreted
service covering 150 different languages via Language Line.
www.cafamily.org.uk
Counsel and Care
A charity giving advice and information to older people, their relatives and carers across the UK.
www.counselandcare.org.uk
Employers for Carers
An Employer for Carers (EfC) is an interest group that includes major employers, employers' organisations and Government agencies. Its aim is to identify and promote to employers and policy makers the business benefits of supporting carers in the workplace influence employment policy and practice to create a culture, which will support carers in and into work.
www.employersforcarers.org.uk
Help the Aged Care Fees Advisory Services
Impartial advice about costs of ongoing care
www.helptheaged.org.uk
Alzheimer's Society
The Alzheimer's Society is the UK's leading care and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.
www.alzheimers.org.uk
Care & Repair England
Care & Repair England's mission is to innovate, develop, promote and support housing policies and initiatives which enable older and disabled people to live independently in their own homes for as long as they wish.
www.careandrepair-england.org.uk
Carewell Holidays
Carewell Holidays and Disabled Services providing disabled persons with accessible holiday accommodation and services, promotion and advertising of accessible holiday accommodation on behalf of property owners, including care and support if required.
www.carewellholidays.com
Parkinsons Disease Society
The Parkinson's Disease Society is dedicated to supporting all people with Parkinson's, their families, friends and carers.
www.parkinsons.org.uk
Rethink
Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality life
www.rethink.org
Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care
www.scccc.co.uk
