CALLING ALL UNPAID CARERS

The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout England and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector .  The purpose of the awards are to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.

There are 9 regional awards leading to 2 national finals for both the home care and care home sectors.

The Carers Award looks to celebrate the unpaid carer who dedicates themselves to the caring of others, therefore we are calling for your help to nominate those who really deserve to be recognised.

Each shortlisted finalist will be given 2 FREE tickets to the Gala Dinner as we
believe everyone is a winner and should enjoy a great night out to celebrate
themselves and the work they do.

To nominate online please follow this link http://www.care-awards.co.uk/entry-form.php

Thank you!

Welfare Reform Bill 2010-11- 2nd reading House of Lords

First reading took place on 16 June. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill’s journey through the Lords.

Second reading – the general debate on all aspects of the Bill – takes place on 19 July.

A list of expected speakers, updated regularly, can be found on the Lords Government Whips Office website.

SEE HERE FOR FURTHER DETAILS

A space to discuss the Dilnot report – funding of Care and Support

Tomorrow sees the publication of the Dilnot Commission’s report into the funding of care and support – a significant policy development for anyone interested in social care for people of all ages.

Discussion on Twitter has used the #dilnot hashtag for people’s thoughts and to share links/information regarding the Commission. ( also #carecrisis and #socialcare)

People on Twitter have built networks and will be interested in the many responses that will be published by individuals/groups/charities etc. For many time will be limited.

Therefore after a discussion among a few people who host highly respected blogs, it was agreed that ArbitraryConstant  (aka Rich Watt) would offer space, so a frank and open discussion could take place by anyone interested in social care issues.

With many thanks to @rich_w, @monstertalk and @jrfemma for their willingness to try this.

So once you have read the Dilnot report, if you want to discuss the details, please join in with the discussion here

Paul Burstow MP writes: Social care’s little secret – it’s never been free

 

None of us know if we will need care in the future, or how much it might cost. But we do know that 1 in 4 of us will face care costs of more than £50,000. What’s more, 1 in 10 will be unlucky enough to face care costs of more than £100,000 in our older age. This is social care’s nasty little secret.

Right now, local councils decide how to spend money on care and support. As a result, there can be big differences between care and support in different areas. Access to support can vary depending on where you live, irrespective of whether or not you have the same care need as someone else. All of this means we have a system that leaves people utterly confused about what help they will receive.

But social care doesn’t just matter because of the costs. It matters because it goes to the very heart of our society where families are the bedrock of care. I don’t believe it’s the business of Government to force people to care for their loved ones. But it is the business of Government to help them if they do so. That’s been our focus in Government over the past twelve months.

READ IN FULL HERE

Carers need statement from Coalition Government re Carers Allowance

In support of Carers Week 2011, CarerWatch set up an information stand in a local Gala hall covering the period Wednesday 15th June through to Sunday 19th June 2011.  

The theme was the True Face of Caring and facts and figures can be found here

It has always been important to reach carers, to provide advice and information, and this year it has become even more vital.

Changes proposed within the Welfare Reform Bill, coupled with cuts to Social Services are going to have a massive effect on many familys.

Families providing care are a necessity and as the number of elderly increases and medicine breakthroughs continue, many people with illnesses will live longer…and the country will rely even more on the foundation that family carers provide.  Carers are a group of people who provide a vital service, yet governments past and present have taken them for granted, have taken their Love for granted.

Carers seem to have been completely forgotten, as benefits are changed around them. Both ‘Refresh Carers Strategy’ and ’21st Century Welfare’ – failed to address the issue of Carers Allowance and now the WR Bill is repeating that mistake. The only detail we know is that CA will remain outside of the Universal Credit.

 However, it still remains the lowest of all benefits, claimed by a group of people that contribute immensely to our society. We cannot and must not allow this opportunity to fully reform CA pass us by.

Carers are used to words of praise, more of which can be heard here from David Cameron last week  but it is NOT enough. No matter how much understanding he says the Coalition has, no matter how many times he says…Thank you, it is NOT enough.

Carers need action and they need it now

Time to care? by Laura Bradley

 

It is becoming increasingly clear that social care is in crisis. The travails of Southern Cross care homes, coupled with yesterday’s revelations about the inadequate state of home-care, point to the strain the system is under.

A mixture of budget cuts and increased demand mean local councils mean the amount they are willing to spend on care is falling, putting pressure on organisations providing care. There has also been a reduction in council admissions to care homes, with Southern Cross reporting a 14 per cent reduction over the last year. But neither are councils willing to support these people by providing carers to visit them in their own homes. Most councils now only offer home-care to people with the most critical needs, and the remainder will soon follow-suit.

Time to care? | Laura Bradley | Independent Notebook Blogs

The Hardest Hit – We Did It

Received from Hardest Hit organisers

 

We did it!

The day of action on 11 May was a great success – we estimate that around 8,000 disabled people, their families and friends took part in the march and 600 disabled people met their MPs to raise the issue of the cuts to DLA and support services.

There was extensive national, regional and local media coverage with at least 500 separate news items related to the event. If you haven’t yet seen our video coverage from the day, you can still watch it.

The rally saw Liam Byrne MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) powerfully express his support for the Hardest Hit campaign and the day made many MPs and peers aware of the strength of feeling against these cuts.

The Hardest Hit protest has successfully got the issues we care about on their radar. The challenge over the next few months is to capitalise on the pressure we’ve built up and deliver the change we all want to see.

So what happens next

Carers Week Celebrations – Live online

from Carers World Radio

Tonight from 8pm we will be LIVE on air as part of the Carers Week Celebrations. Patricia Mitchell will be hosting the programme with guests such as Matt Hill Communications and Campaigns Manager for Carers UK, Amanda Waring an independent Film Producer who has recently produced a number of films about caring and Katherine Wilson, Employers for Carers Manager talking about a new report which as been published this week. This is the first  ever research survey into the impacts on employers and employees of managing caring at a distance, an issue that affects millions of families.

All that and much much more and you in the chatroom. Plus you get the chance to be part of history as this is the first time this type of LIVE programme has been on air for Carers, so be part of it TONIGHT!

Remaining stages of Welfare Reform Bill

The House of Commons held the second day of the report stage of the Welfare Reform Bill on Wednesday 15 June. The Bill was also read a third time and will now be considered by the House of Lords.

Day one: Monday 13 June

MPs considered in the following order New Clauses 1 and 2, Amendments 1-13, 23, 31, 27, and 14-18.

New Clause 1, moved by the Government, related to recovery by deduction from earnings, the Clause was read the first and second time and added to the Bill.

Government Amendments 1-13 were agreed to without a division.

New Clause 2, moved by the Opposition, related childcare, the Clause was read the first time but was negatived on a division (Ayes 215; Noes 293).

SEE IN FULL HERE

Supporting carers is not just right, it’s rational

by Peter Watt

This week is “carers week“, when the fantastic contribution and role played by the millions of carers in the UK is celebrated.  It is all very big, or even good, society.  The numbers of those with a caring role is on the increase.  But there is one particular group of carers whose numbers are increasing fast, and that is older carers who care for very old relatives. The reasons for the increase are clear. According to the ONS, the fastest population increase has been in the number of those aged 85 and over, the “oldest old”. In 1984, there were around 660,000 people in the UK aged 85 and over. Since then the numbers have more than doubled reaching 1.4 million in 2009. By 2034 the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to be 2.5 times larger than in 2009, reaching 3.5 million and accounting for 5 per cent of the total population. This is, of course, a fantastic success story with people living longer and living healthier for longer. But it also means that there are many older people who are themselves caring for very old and frail relatives.

READ IN FULL HERE