Services to support you as a Carer
Am I a Carer?
A Carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
Carers Assessments
An Individual Carers Assessment is when you have your needs assessed, as a Carer, without the person whom you care for being present. This would take place with a Carer Support Officer from the St Helens Carers Centre, as we are now carrying out these assessments on behalf of the local authority.
A Carers Assessment is a more in-depth discussion and will consider the different ways caring affects your life and works out how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family. You will talk about your caring role and what this involves on a day to day basis, your feelings about caring, your physical, mental and emotional health, and how caring effects your work, leisure, education, wider family and relationships. The information provided in your assessment can then be used to identify your support needs and to discuss how these could be met. This might mean that we can give you help or put you in touch with other organisations that you can talk to. If eligible, you will receive a personalised support plan. In this there may be specific services and support identified for yourself, which can help to balance your time and responsibilities. You will receive a copy of your Support Plan. This information will be kept on our records as well as with Peoples Services (St Helens Adult Social Care & Health Service).
Alternatively, you can also access a Joint Carers Assessment. This would be with you, the person you care for and a Care Manager from Peoples Services. They would complete your Joint Carer & Community Care Assessment and subsequent support plan for the person you care for, if eligible. If you have an eligible need, the information obtained from you will be referred to our Carer Support Team who will complete your Carer Support Plan. They will contact you to discuss this.
Should you wish to access a Carers Assessment, please contact the Carers Centre on 01744 675615 to book your appointment. This can be conducted over the telephone or face to face.
Entitlement to a Parent Carers Assessment
If you are a parent of a disabled child aged under 18, your child can be assessed by the local authority under law relating to the needs of children in the Children and Families Act 2014.
You will also be assessed as part of that process because Children’s Services will look at the needs of the family as a whole. This is often referred to as a "holistic" assessment.
The assessment should take into account detailed information about your family, including:
- the family’s background and culture
- your own views and preferences
- the needs of any other children you have
The assessment is not a test of your parenting skills, but should be a sensitive look at any difficulties the family has as a whole, with a view to considering what support or services are needed.
A care plan should be drawn up that would include services to benefit both you and your disabled child. For example, there could be adaptations to the home, help with bathing or regular respite breaks to ensure you get the rest you need. Should you wish to access a Parent Carers Assessment, please contact Children & Young People’s Services 01744 676600.
Information and Advice
New Carers say that having up to date information about services that offer help and support is crucial. Our team have developed an extensive information pathway and can advise you around a whole host of things including the following:
Access to community & carers assessments and services – we can provide information on services available via Adult & Children’s social care teams, how to arrange an assessment, what to expect and how to plan for this. We will also provide advocacy for Carers who experience difficulties with services or packages put in place. We aim to support and empower Carers to take action to secure their rights and obtain services.
Benefits and Finances – Information on Benefits available and how to make claims, details of agencies that can help with Hardship Funds and Debt Management
Carers Rights & Employment Issues – Advice on Carers Rights, Employment Law, where to seek detailed information.
Practical Help – Details on how and where to access services for both the Carer & Cared for person, such as aids and adaptations, equipment such as wheelchair hire, accessible holidays, respite breaks, voluntary agencies and local activity groups for Disabled Children, Vulnerable Adults, Older People and those with Mental Ill Health.
Service Specific Information – A range of information is available to Carers for specific conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Heart Disease, Substance Misuse and many others.
Emotional Support
Carers often put their own health and emotional well-being second, but it is imperative that Carers look after their own needs in order to maintain their caring role. Many Carers tell us that just talking about their situation can really make a difference in a non-judgemental and confidential environment. We operate a drop in centre service where there is always someone to talk through any issues you may be dealing with. Sometimes all that Carers need is a place to let off steam, laugh, cry and share experiences. Carers can drop in to our adult centre between 9:30 and 4 weekdays (excluding bank holidays), or emotional support can be offered in a number of other ways:
- Telephone on 01744 675615
- Email at info@sthelenscarers.org.uk
- Live chat with us by clicking the chat button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays between 10 and 3)
- Face to face appointment
Welfare Benefits
At St Helens Carers Centre we have a team of fully trained Welfare Benefits Advisers to help support you and the person you care for with Welfare Benefits. The team can carry out full benefits checks, complete forms, support with digital claims, check awards, support with changes in your circumstances and more.
There are a number of ways you can contact the team if you are registered as a Carer with St Helens Carers Centre:
- Telephone on 01744 675615
- Email at info@sthelenscarers.org.uk
- Live chat with us by clicking the chat button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays between 10 and 3)
- Face to face appointment
- Universal Credit drop-in every Friday between 10 and 1 at our adult centre (re-commencing 29th April 2022)
The team have also produced their own fact sheets, self-help guides, information videos and more and these can be viewed by clicking here
Carer Support Groups
Carer Support groups are a great way for Carers to talk to others who are in a similar situation, enabling them to share information and advice, often providing them with a feeling of strength and support.
Training and Leisure Courses
Caring can be quite demanding and some of the skills may be new to you. Also, caring can become isolating and mean that Carers lose opportunities for themselves. We therefore have a range of training courses and information sessions based here at the Carers Centre. This can be training to help you in your caring role such as moving & handling, recreational classes to give you a break such relaxation techniques or courses to develop your own skills or help you to return to work, such as computer skills. All our courses are free of charge. To check out our current courses click Clubhouse Events
Parent Carer Services
If you are a Parent Carer of a child or young person with special educational needs and or a disability (SEND) in St. Helens, then you can access specific Parent Carer Information emails from us, Parent Carer groups / events and access free Holistic Therapies.
Carer Membership/Discount Card
Once registered with the Carers Centre you are entitled to our membership card for free. This shows you are a registered carer with us in addition to giving you lots of discounts at various local shops and businesses. To access this card please drop into the Centre and have your photograph taken, or you can email us at info@sthelenscarers.org.uk with a photograph of yourself and we will then issue your card along with a list of current discounts and benefits in the post to you.
Carers Emergency Card scheme
This scheme gives Carers peace of mind 24hours a day, knowing that in the event of an emergency, an agreed action plan would be put in place. The scheme is run between ourselves and the local Careline Service as they have a 24hr helpline. It is available for any Carer or a Carer whose Cared for lives in the St Helens Borough.
To access the CEC you would need to discuss and agree you action plan with a Carer Support Officer. In doing so you can nominate 2 relatives or friends who could be contacted in an emergency should you be delayed or involved in an emergency, in order to support you and your Cared for person. The card is Red and has on it your unique reference code and Careline’s telephone number, when this card is activated your action plan is put into place, ensuring that your cared for is not left alone. You must carry this card around with you at all times. We will also send you a CEC Keyring and a sticker for your car. We can also issue a green card for the person you care for and in the event of an emergency you would be contacted. This has proved particularly useful for those caring for someone with memory problems, learning difficulties and mental ill health. If you would like to access a Carers Emergency Card, please contact the Carers Centre on 01744 675615.
Young Carers Service
St Helens Carers Centre also has a Young Carers Centre that supports those under 18yrs old who have a caring responsibility. Following a family assessment, support is tailored to the young persons needs. For further information our Young Carer dedicated website at www.sthelensyoungcarers.org