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| Medway Carers Centre: |
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To reach as many informal family carers as possible |
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To provide a ‘One Stop Shop’ for information |
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To provide support |
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To give carers Space and Time for their own needs. |
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What can a Carers Centre
do? |
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Provides advice, information and support to
family carers in the
Medway Area. Since its inception 5 years ago, the number of
family carers using the Centre has increased to around 800 family carers. The
Centre's quarterly newsletter has a circulation of
over 1000, including carers and professionals on a bi-monthly basis. |
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Informal carers can refer themselves to the Centre |
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The Centre can receive referrals from Social
Services, Care Managers, Social Workers, Hospitals, District
Nurses, GP Practices, Educational Welfare Officers and Health Visitors bas well as from other
voluntary agencies. It is pro-active in raising awareness of
family carers' issues by way of Conferences, talks, outreach work and events. |
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The Centre provides a variety of services: |
| For some of the latest information please go
to the Newsletter page
thank you.
And for the Young carers Newsletter
click here |
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Coffee mornings. |
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Telephone-Out Scheme. |
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Acting as a sign post to other services. |
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Form filling and letter writing. |
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| To enhance the on-going support to family
carers,
to ensure that they are made aware of both statutory and voluntary
services available to them. |
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By providing such services,
family carers are supported and cope more effectively in their caring role, which
in turn reduces stress or health problems. |
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What
is Special about The Carers Centre? |
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The Carers Centre, a unique local service,
that takes a holistic view of the service users family carers of across a wide age range
of adults and children. The aim is to provide, empower and
encourage them in all aspects of their family caring role, and to maintain
their effectiveness in that role, by offering on-going support.
The ethos of the Centre is to consult with its service users, and to
respond to their needs. |
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The Medway Council has a long term commitment to The
Princess Royal Trust Medway Carers Centre, and is working in
partnership with us and other agencies to identify and support
family carers. |
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The Centre staff include a Manager (full time). A
Minority Ethnic Carers Worker & Schools Development Worker and a Young
carers
Development Worker (please contact
Bobbie
for more info). The Centre is also supported by
volunteers who help out in many and various different ways. If
you would like to find out more about becoming a volunteer please contact
Bobbie at the Centre. |
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We
offer support, information and advice BY: |
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Passing family carers on to relevant agencies / professionals |
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Be a listening ear |
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Being non-judgmental |
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Talking to other family carers |
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And saying ‘it’s ok to feel whatever you are feeling to day’. |
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| Holding information |
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| Our
Mission Statement for Medway carers Centre |
| We believe informal unpaid family
carers are entitled to |
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Approachable, Sensitive & Non Judgemental Services. |
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Have the right to be valued, be part of, thereby making an impact
across discriminatory barriers. |
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Are entitled to innovative services that are flexible in meeting the
needs of individuals and their families. |
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Have the right to be listened to, as well as the right to challenge
and influence systems. |
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Are entitled to fun and relaxation in their lives. |
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Should influence changes and participate in the development of the
Centre. |
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Should have outcomes that make a difference to their lives and
longer-term futures. |
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| For some of the latest information please go
to the Newsletter page, thank you. |
| Medway Carers Centre Services - Advice,
Information and Support |
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The Centre provides advice, information and support to
all family carers. You can contact us either by personal visit,
telephone, email or in writing. If it is difficult for you to
get to the Centre and you would like to talk over your situation, it may
be possible for us to arrange to visit you.
The Centre is open from 10:00am - 4:00pm Monday to Friday, you can
leave a message on the answer phone after this time and we will get back
to you. You are welcome to visit us even if you just need a cup of
coffee!
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The Centre's regular activities. |
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Mental Health Group - meets once a month at the Centre on Monday from
10.00am - 12.00pm. To find out more please
contact the Centre
in the normal way. |
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Vulnerable Adults Group
- This group, of family carers of vulnerable adults (those with Aspergers
Syndrome, AD(H)D or similar condition), meets once a month at the Centre
on a Monday evening from 19.30pm - 21.30pm. To find out more please
contact the Centre
in the normal way. |
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Alternate Tuesdays - Coffee Morning
11.00am - 13.00pm
Come and meet with other family carers at the Centre. Members of
staff and volunteers will be on hand to introduce you to other family
carers
and to offer advice and information to you on all aspects of caring,
benefits as well as emotional support. |
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Young Carers
The young carers development worker aims to raise awareness of young
carers in
the community and amongst professionals in Education, Health and Social
Services.
The young carers development worker offers individual support to young
family carers and if
appropriate refers them to other services in the community. Activities
and groups for young family carers are in development stage at the time of
writing. Please come back to this page for regular updates.
Or you can contact the Centre by other means. |
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Newsletter "MEDWAY
Carers NEWS"
The Centre produces a quarterly newsletter, which is sent to all
family carers who are on the Centre's database. The newsletter is an
interactive resource for family carers, so if you have any stories, poem's,
things to say, if you want something, or to sell something, please contact
us in the normal way. You will need to contact the Centre for
details of print deadlines. |
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Telephone-Out Scheme
This service is offered to family carers who would like regular contact by
phone. They may feel isolated or unable to leave the person they
care for. The Centre will provide a regular phone contact with
them for as long as they want or need. For more details contact
us at the Centre. |
Working Carers Group
A monthly support group for those carers that work during
the day.
Starting on Wednesday 14th February @ 19:00 - 21:00hrs.
Please could you please advise us by phone (+44 (0) 1634 577340 - ask for
Gina) or
 - FAO Gina), if you would
like to attend this group.
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If you would like to comment on this website or have any ideas for what
may be included etc.
please contact our website co-ordinator,
ChRiS (G).
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About the Princess Royal Trust |
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There are over 122 Centres U.K. wide. |
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The network is in touch with almost ¼
million family including 13,000 young carers. |
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There are estimated to be 6,000,000
carers with 1,000,000 carers
caring full time and doing ‘heavy’ duties for the cared for
person. Furthermore: This estimate is based on on Census 2001
& General Household Survey 2000. |
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The Princess Royal Trust aims to provide services
that are Carer led, allow Individual
Choice, Accessible and of
High
Quality. |
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| Complaints |
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We have a complaints policy available upon
request. However if you are unhappy with the service from our
Carers Centre then
please contact Bobbie in the first instance.
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| Confidentiality |
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All staff and volunteers are committed to our confidentiality policy. All information given to us is
treated as confidential and will not be discussed outside of the Centre
unless permission is given by the client. |
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The Princess Royal Trust for
Carers -
Medway Carers Centre - Equal
Opportunities Policy Statement
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The Medway carers Centre is committed to Equal Opportunities and
opposes all forms of discrimination faced by individual or groups. |
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The Centre will not discriminate on the grounds of colour, race,
religion, gender. age, marital status, sexual orientation or
disablement. |
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The Medway carers Centre expects all staff and volunteers to be aware of and
sensitive to the impact of class, gender, race and prejudice on
attitudes, relationships and judgment. |
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A
short history of the Carers Centre |
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In 1998, research was carried out which highlighted
the need for a carers Centre in the Medway Towns.
Appropriate funding was sought from a number of
places including The Princess Royal Trust For Carers, Medway Council, HSBC and Somerfield. The
opinions of local family carers were taken into account at an open meeting. Later, some went on to form a Steering Group.
Temporary premises were found and the Council for
Voluntary Services (CVS) Medway were appointed as managers of the
scheme.
Within the Community Care Plans for children and
adults from 1999 – 2002 and The Joint Investment Plan, “Working
together to improve the well being of elderly people”, Medway Council
Identified that a carers Centre was a ‘priority’.
Members of the Steering group undertaken various
tasks, to develop the project, as well as training to develop new
skills.
The original group included
carers, Representatives
from the Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) Medway, The Princess Royal
trust for carers, Social Services (Medway Council), Age Concern, The
Children’s Society, The Council for Social Responsibility and Parkwood
Medical Centre.
Who Is It For?
The aim of the scheme is to reach ‘Informal
family carers’ these are unpaid people with caring responsibilities in the
Medway area. The project
takes into account the experiences and needs of people looking after
relatives, neighbours or friends at home or elsewhere in the local
community.
These
family carers can be of any age and from any
background and often do not recognise
themselves as family carers. Caring
is something that they automatically do for the person that they are
caring for. The Centre aims
to raise the profile of family carers in the Medway Towns.
Family carers need to be acknowledged, and then others
will recognise that they are doing a very important job – which can be
demanding both emotionally and physically.
Once carers have made contact with the Centre there is
information & advice & support services available to help them in their
caring role.
Family carers can have mixed feelings, which range from
isolation and resentment to anger and guilt.
On the other hand caring can be rewarding experience.
Family caring responsibilities often go on for a number of years and the
carer and the cared for person may be resistant to outside help.
The Medway
Carers Centre is the flagship
organisation for the family carers in the Medway Towns and outlying rural
areas. It currently has
about 800 (and rising) family carers registered on its database.
This Centre is a place where family carers needs can be addressed.
Five Most Frequently Asked Questions
(Apart from ‘is this the carers Centre?’)
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What is a family carer?
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Which benefits am I entitled to?
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I need help to look after the person I care for,
who can help me?
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How do I find out about respite care?
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Where can I get together with people who share
similar experiences? |
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| This page was last updated
24/01/2008
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