KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! CARERS MISSING OUT ON VITAL RESOURCES CAN RECEIVE HELP
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! CARERS MISSING OUT ON VITAL RESOURCES CAN RECEIVE HELP
01.12.09
Supporting next week’s national Carers Rights Day, Caring with Confidence, a leading provider of free learning and development opportunities for carers in England, is reinforcing the importance of carers knowing what benefits and services they are entitled to and access the income they deserve.
‘Caring for your income and pension’, the focus of this year’s Carers Rights Day (4 December), organised by Carers UK, aims to ensure carers are getting the support and benefits they deserve and protecting their pensions for the future. Supplementing this support for carers, Caring with Confidence offers a free tailored support session called Caring and Resources.
The Caring and Resources session is part of a seven session programme available for unpaid carers aged 18 and over in England. It helps identify ways to maximise your income and access other resources by giving an overall picture of key money matters for carers. The session covers the main benefits a carer is entitled to, identifies and helps consider other resources available for carers or the person they care for and explores ways to manage financial issues.
Graham Brindley, Caring with Confidence Project Director, said: “Giving carers the information and support around their financial rights is essential if we are to help maximise the income and benefits to which they are entitled.”
Since the programme started in May, nearly 600 carers have attended the Caring and Resources session alone.
Mr Brindley continued: “Many carers found that getting information on how to apply for benefits and exchanging ideas with other carers made them feel more empowered and confident about dealing with money.”
The Caring with Confidence programme is made up of seven sessions and carers can pick and choose how many of these they attend, and how they get involved – from local group sessions run through a network of organisations across England, where help with travel and alternative care costs are available to assist the carer attending. Alternatively self-study workbooks and online sessions are available should the carer wish to get involved from home.
Topics of the other sessions include, an introductory course to help carers look at what matters to them, health and wellbeing, coping, emergencies at home, taking time out and communicating effectively with professionals and service providers.
For further information about Caring with Confidence or to find details of local Providers, visit www.caringwithconfidence.net or call 0800 849 2349, or to find out more about Carers Rights Day visit, www.carersuk.org.
-ENDS-
For further media information and details of case studies, please contact:
Diane Roskell
Caring with Confidence
Marketing & Communications Executive
Email: diane.roskell@caringwithconfidence.net
Tel: 0113 385 4491
Notes to Editors
Caring with Confidence is a programme of free, flexible support sessions enabling carers who look after a friend or relative the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge to help improve their own lives and that of the person they care for.
The programme is funded by the Department of Health and is a part of the Government’s renewed National Carers Strategy and the ‘New Deal for Carers’ which aims to improve support for carers aged 18 and over in England.
Caring with Confidence:
• helps carers build on their strengths
• gives useful information about looking after someone
• helps carers decide what positive changes they could make in their caring role.
Carers can choose how they access Caring with Confidence, either by attending face-to-face group sessions, completing self-study workbooks, accessing online sessions or a combination of all three.
For further information, visit www.caringwithconfidence.net.