Carers News: Issue 118 October - December 2017 Registered Charity No Changing the way we work with carers. Young Carers I Am More Project

Transcription

1 Carers News: Issue 118 October - December 2017 Registered Charity No Changing the way we work with carers Young Carers I Am More Project Our New Charity Shop Stretford INSIDE THIS ISSUE 13-20th October All the latest news and activities coming up What s on at the Health & Wellbeing Centre

2 About Us... Do you support someone who couldn't manage without you? Trafford Carers Centre is a registered charity that supports unpaid carers looking after someone in the Trafford area. Read on to find out how we can help you. Hello everyone, Contents Here at Trafford Carers we have had an extremely busy few months with the opening of our new shop in Stretford. I am extremely thankful to all our hard working staff and volunteers who have rallied round to get the shop up and running. We are delighted to be trading in the Mall and hope that our presence in Stretford will help us support even more Carers across Trafford. The welcome addition of our new counselling room above the shop will now be more accessible for Carers in North Trafford. I would urge you all to pop by the new shop to meet Nina and the team and have a look through some of our high quality items. Every purchase or item donated to the shop will help us to offer even more services to carers across Trafford. The new store is situated in the mall next to Greggs and will be open 6 days a week as per the Mall opening hours. We are calling for donations of quality used goods; these can be dropped off at the Stretford store or our other shop located next to Sainsbury s in Sale. We are also looking for shop volunteers to help sort donations, work on the till, and create displays. Anyone who enjoys meeting new people or has an eye for design will be perfect for the role. About Us Welcome Carers Rights Day How to refer to our service Changing the way we work Fundraising News Health & Wellbeing Carer Support Young Carers Project Retail News Retail News Carer s I would appeal to you all to come along to the GMCP Carers Rights Day on Friday 24th November at Methodist Central Buildings located in the Northern Quarter in Manchester, where we will have Andy Burnham - Manchester Mayor as a key speaker. I also invite you all to our Annual General Meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday 5th December at 10am. I hope you enjoy our news and again, as ever, we are here to support you. Best wishes, Gavin Williams Trafford Carers Centre CEO You Are Invited to Trafford Carers AGM Date: Tuesday 5th December 2017 Time: am Venue: Trafford Carers Centre Please call to confirm your attendance October & Nov Diary Dates December Diary Dates The opinions expressed in Trafford Carers News are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of Trafford Carers Centre. Information included in Trafford Carers News is accepted in good faith, but products or services referred to are not thereby endorsed or recommended by Trafford Carers Centre. Trafford Carers Centre is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered Charity. Company Number: Charity Number: If you have difficulty reading this newsletter, please download a PDF version from our website Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

3 This year on Carers Rights Day, Greater Manchester Carers Partnership invites you to this unmissable event MAKING IT REAL!! Friday 24th November pm Methodist Central Buildings, Oldham street, Manchester, M1 1JQ Pledge your commitment to supporting carers in Manchester. Listen to what Carers have to say. Explore the work that the Greater Manchester Carers Partnership provides. Together we are stronger and can make Manchester a better place for Carers! Our commitment to Carers is to work with organisations, businesses and services in Manchester to commit to identifying carers connecting them to the help and support available, to truly support and value carers in our city. Each year we hold Carers Rights Day to bring organisations together to help Carers in their local community know their rights and find out how to get the help and support they are entitled to. Booking information - This event is free to attend and a light lunch will be provided. Booking is essential for all attendees. To register your interest please contact the Trafford Carers Centre. There are many ways you can be referred to us: You can call the Centre s Helpline on You Are Invited to Trafford Carers Big Breakfast Date: 19th October 2017 Time: am Venue: Trafford Carers Centre Please call to confirm your attendance Contact us via on info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk Ask your social worker or GP to refer you Refer yourself via our online form at Contact us via Facebook.com/Trafford Carers or Carers Come and visit the Centre at 19B School Road, Sale, M33 7XX or come and meet one of our caseworkers at our many outreach posts across Trafford Many people don t realise they are carers please pass our details on to anyone who you think may need our support. Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 3

4 Changing the way we work Changing the way we work with Carers Over the last 12 weeks we have been working with Trafford Council and Partners4Change to pilot a '3 Conversation Model' aimed at offering a much improved service for carers looking after someone in Trafford. The pilot itself allowed us to take a look at the processes that were in place to identify support needs. Historically, support has been via a form filling process, which most of you will have experienced as a 20 page document! This process could realistically take anything from 1 to 8 weeks depending on your support needs. Quite often when you contact the Carers Centre you're looking for an immediate response to your support needs. Having to wait for a caseworker to be available and going through the form before understanding the support available to you often added to the pressure of your role, something which had already been compounded by the funding cuts experienced by the Carers Centre. So, what is the '3 Conversation Model'? The 3 Conversation Model is designed to offer carers a more person centred approach to support. Our caseworkers will have 'conversations' with you, the carer, to best understand what is happening for you in your caring role and how it is impacting on your health and wellbeing. It allows for an immediate response to your needs and helping you to reach a more stable position before identifying long term support. What can you expect when you contact or you are referred to the Carers Centre? Conversation 1 is designed to understand what really matters to you; connecting you to resources and support that can help you continue with your caring role. Conversation 2 may happen if you as a carer find yourself at breaking point or in a crisis. Quite often this is the point where you honestly feel that you can no longer carry on as a carer. A caseworker will work with you to identify what needs to change urgently to help you regain control of your life; what can be put in place. Conversation 3 is looking at helping you build a good life for the long term. This will be a more intensive piece of work helping you to identify that long term support and what that looks like for you. 4 Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

5 3 Conversations The biggest change that you as a carer will notice is that you no longer have to complete the form before accessing a number of our services such as Welfare & Benefits advice, therapies and counselling. However one of the other more notable changes is that we will no longer be offering a Flexible Break Fund. The Conversations are about us working together to find the best support available to help you regain control of your life and prevent carer breakdown either through looking at assets in your community, researching pots of available funds or in some circumstances accessing a very limited Carers Support Fund held by the Carers Centre. Through the Conversation Model if a caseworker identifies a need to access the Carers Support Fund they will present your case to a panel using a scoring process. The scoring process takes into account carers stress levels, health needs, other support & services received, intensity of caring role, other additional responsibilities and how isolated the carer is to help determine award. The support fund is to ensure that those who are identified as being in or at risk of carer breakdown have their needs met. There is no one size fits all when it comes to identifying a support need for a carer. With limited funds available we will always look to exhaust all options available before going through a scoring process and submitting to the panel. The panel will make the final decision on awarding funds and will consider the best use (based on the conversation and scoring) and how it will benefit the carer in both the long and short term. The panel meet on a weekly basis and carers will be notified in writing of the panel decision. As ever we are always reviewing and developing our services to provide carers with the best access route to support. We hope that you as a carer of someone in Trafford find your experience with Trafford Carers Centre more satisfying and we welcome any feedback on the new process. Carers Board Over the last few months we have been asking carers if they would like to have a stronger voice in Trafford by joining our Carers Board. At the end of July, five carers came together to form the Board and at the request of the Carers Centre have started to audit the services we currently offer to ensure that we are delivering the best support possible with the resources available to us. So far the Board have returned for a 2nd meeting and have already begun to provide feedback on the groups/activities offered including the art group, craft club and yoga. In addition to providing an audit of the service the Board have already identified issues that they would like to address and have their voices heard on, in particular issues with regards to hospital discharge. If you would like to join the Carers Board and have your voice heard please contact Michelle Grogan on or michelle.grogan@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk. Meetings are held every two months at 19B School Road with the next meeting scheduled for Thursday 2nd November 2017 at 12pm - 2pm Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 5

6 Festive Fun Christmas Charity Bag Pack Help fund activities for our Young Carers Date: Friday 8th December Time: 10-4pm At: Sainsbury's, Curzon Rd, Sale, M33 7SA All help would be very much appreciated even if just for an hour or so. Festive attire optional!! PEAR s Grant We have once again been successful in securing funding from Co-Operative with the PEARs Grants, supporting Young Carers aged 5 17 to address immediate personal barriers preventing engagement with education, employment and training opportunities or to enable participation in activities that would otherwise be inaccessible, due to the caring role and/or the family s financial situation. Young Carers can access a grant of up to 150 through an application form available through the YCP team. The deadline for the final round of applications is Wednesday 25th October If you have any questions please contact Kirsty on To take part in an event on behalf of Trafford Carers Centre or to hold your own fundraising event please call or fundraisingteam@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk for more information 6 Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

7 Fundraising News Hello My name is Jo Fowler and I am the Fundraising and Communications manager at Trafford Carers Centre. Christmas is almost upon us and is a time when many of our Carers feel most isolated. Here are some simple and fun ideas to raise funds to help us support even more Carers this Christmas. Shop Online - Christmas shopping can be extremely stressful, so why not do all of your shopping online and raise funds for us at the same time. By using Give as you Live thousands of famous high street stores will donate money to Trafford Carers every time you shop online. Visit Christmas Bake Sale - Tempt your friends and colleagues with your festive treats, for a price of course! E-cards - This year why not send friends, family and colleagues a free e-card. Its environmentally friendly but the funds you save from buying and posting the cards, you could donate to Trafford Carers. Carol Singing - If you are somewhat of a song bird then why not host a carol concert. Christmas Party - Why not incorporate some fundraising activities. Anything (appropriate) goes; quiz, raffle, wine tasting or even casino style games. Dress Down Day / Christmas Jumper Day - Ditch the uniform for a day in order to raise vital funds for a good cause. Thank you for your amazing support to date. We feel incredibly fortunate to receive support from the community, and really appreciate you helping us to make a difference. Remember if you want to get involved or would like to fundraise individually or at work, I d love to hear from you. Get in touch to find out how we can work together to ensure that carers in Trafford are given the support they deserve. You can contact me via at joanne.fowler@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk or call me on th 20th October 2017 HOST A BREAKFAST!! Could your Organisation, School or Community take up the Challenge?? Whether it s a bowl of cereal, a pastry or a fry up, we are asking you to host a Fundraising Breakfast for your friends, family & colleagues to help raise money to support Trafford s 24,000 unpaid carers. Why not hold a Dress Down Day; Go to work or school in your pyjamas or slippers!! Go on, it will be fun! Be a Good Egg and make a Difference!! Huge Thanks to: Ingrid Hill our therapist who took part in Trek Fest and raised a fantastic 220 Dr s from Boundary House Medical Centre who took part in the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride and raised a fabulous 332 Moss Field Allotments raised almost 400 at their Open Day Jane & John Bowhey and friends who raised an amazing 1500 at their summer garden party Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 7

8 Health & Wellbeing Centre Are You Struggling With Your Child s Sleep? Sleep Tight Trafford are running sleep clinics at the wellbeing centre on Tuesday 10th October 9am-12 noon and Monday 27th November 9am-12.:30. To book an appointment please ring Mindful Yoga Do you need to find a way to unwind from your stressful dayto-day responsibilities? Come and relax your mind and body at our Mindful yoga classes run by Claire Tuesday 11am- 12pm. Suitable for all fitness abilities. Confidence Building workshop If you feel you have a lack of confidence and would like to learn skills to help with this, we will be holding a confidence building session Monday 2nd October pm. If you are interested in attending please ring us on to register. Health Checks Trafford Carers Centre provides a free health check to all carers carried out by our carers nurse Lorna. As a carer your health needs to be a priority and to keep you in good health we check: Blood Pressure Cholesterol and blood glucose BMI Smoking and alcohol Psychological screening Discuss any health worries To make an appointment to see the nurse phone Guided Relaxation Being a carer can often cause stress and may lead to ill health. To help combat this we will be running a Guided Relaxation class at the Health & Wellbeing Centre to help you reach a relaxed and calmed state and leave you better equipped to continue relaxation techniques. Come and join us on: Tuesday 7th November1.30-3pm De-Clutter session 12 of our Carers took part in the first de-clutter session in September and all said it was really helpful and it inspired them to go home and start the process of decluttering!! Another session has been scheduled for Monday 18th December at 1:30pm. Please call to book your place. Meditation Session Join other carers at The Hope Centre the 2nd Thursday of each month from 11.00am-12.00pm for a guided meditation session. Carers that attend say it really helps them to relax and is a great outlet for stress. To book a place for any of our upcoming activities or for more information contact Andrea on or drop in to the Health & Wellbeing Centre, 2A Curzon Road, Sale, M33 7DR. 8 Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

9 Carer Support Gel Nails 6th Nov a nail therapist will be here offering carers a gel nail manicure at a cost of 5 per manicure. Please ring Andrea on to make an appointment as places are limited. Carers Coffee & Drop-in The Carers Coffee & Drop-in at the Health & Wellbeing centre is for carers to discuss any issues they are facing in a relaxing and friendly environment. They take place: Thursdays from 2pm-3pm. Bereavement Support Held on the first Wednesday of every month and hosted by one of our counsellors from 1.00pm 3.00pm at the Wellbeing Centre, 2a Curzon Road, Sale, M33 7DR. The Bereavement Support is a friendly, informal session, open to all carers who have lost someone they cared for. Come along for support and to meet other carers. Carers of Someone with Autism GROUP Come along to our Carers Of Someone With Autism for support, advice and to meet other carers with similar experiences. The group will take place on: Thursday 14th December 1pm - 3pm at Trafford Carers Centre Autism strategy meeting for Trafford interested Come along Thursday October 12th 1-3pm Carers Mental Health Do you care for someone with a mental health problem? Why not come along to our support group? Wednesday 25th October 2-3pm, Wednesday 29th November 7-8pm and Wednesday 20th December 2-3pm. It would be great to see you there so we can try and get carers together to support each other! First Aid First Aid Training will be available for Carers Tuesday November 14th pm at The Wellbeing Centre. To book your place andrea.fawcett@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk Limited places are available For FREE information, support & advice Call our Carer s Helpline Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 9

10 Young Carers Project 5-11yrs Summer Fun Day at Stamford Park The day started out sunny, but in typical British Summer style, the rain found us; but we still had a lot of fun! We had outdoor games, hula hoops and even got creative. The group searched the park for leaves and twigs and made some beautiful creations using what they had found. We had a surprise visit from a Magician during the day! Taking cover from the rain under the trees, He amazed everyone with disappearing handkerchiefs and his balloon creations. BOWLING We ended Summer with a trip to Namco Funscape Bowling at the Trafford Centre. With the Girls Vs Boys, it was clear that this competition was being taken seriously! If you would like to support the Young Carers Project by providing opportunities for young carers, whether it be: a day out, a team building event, educational or career focused opportunity then please contact Kirsty by calling Malachy was a strong bowler, and was adamant he d beat his sister. Both teams put in a valiant effort, especially Emma on the girls team. Dates for your Diary Our Summer Project is continuing into the school term therefore the teenage groups (Years 7 9 and Years 10 13) will continue to be merged. All groups are based in our offices in Sale unless otherwise specified. Wed 13th September pm Wed 20th September pm Wed 27th September pm Wed 4th October pm Wed 11th October pm Wed 18th October pm Wellbeing Centre Wed 25th October OUTT Halloween Trip Wed 1st Nov Halloween Party pm Wed 8th Nov pm Wellbeing Centre Wed 15th Nov pm I AM MORE EXHIBI- TION Stretford Public Hall PM 10 Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 10

11 Young Carers Project Teens Bubble Football To kick start Summer and our Summer Project we went to Bubble Football at Power-league Trafford. We started the day with some team building, splitting into two groups, the challenge was on who could build the tallest structure using Marshmallows and Spaghetti sticks! This soon evolved into the most extravagant structure and, with Janine as Judge, 1 were the winners. Paintballing In August we donned our camo overalls (along with safety equipment) and joined forces to take ownership of the forest. There were some nerves from everyone, but a lot of excitement too. It was thoroughly enjoyed. With a pizza delivery at dinner time, everyone was full of energy again and ready to go! First Aid Our teens learnt some important First Aid skills. Perhaps something they would have found useful at paintballing! We got to meet the Terminator of the Forest and Yuri and Sophia got certificates for their excellent skills! They learned how to do CPR, how to help someone who s choking and all the different bandaging techniques; Logan chose to go home looking a little like The Mummy with a bandage around his head. We hope his mum wasn t given a fright! I Am More Project.. We were lucky enough to secure funding from Thomas Cook for our I Am More Project over the Summer. The Project aims to increase confidence, build skills and increase positive body image. An arts based project, our Teenage s have been busy creating some master pieces which will be going towards an Art Exhibition organised by the group themselves! We re very excited to say that we have secured our venue for the Exhibition and it will be held at Stretford Public Hall! So far we ve had explosive painting from Logan, very messy mannequin decorating and modifying old clothes making them fresh and new. Maisie has revamped a denim jacket, and is sure to be the next Vivienne Westwood! The Project will continue into the school term. If you re unable to come to the workshops, but would like to submit a piece of art, please get in touch with Kirsty. Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 11

12 Retail News A New Store in Stretford On Saturday 23rd September we opened the doors to our second retail outlet in Stretford Mall We had a wonderful day and were joined by Councillor Tom Ross, the Deputy Mayor of Stretford, who cut the ribbon, chatted to carers and members of the public who where eagerly waiting outside. Store manager Nina said: "Its been brilliant how everyone has pulled together as a team to get the shop ready. We have such wonderful volunteers, it has been hard work but also very rewarding seeing what we have managed to achieve. We always need more volunteers, if you have spare time and would like to meet new people, come along to the shop where you will be very welcome. Our supporters have been so generous donating their unwanted items, and we are extremely grateful to Stretford Mall who have welcomed us into the centre; it s wonderful to be part of the Stretford community Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

13 Retail News Stock Appeal Help Stock Our Shops Trafford Carers Centre urgently needs your help! Following our successful opening our new Stretford charity shop is running low on stock we are now appealing for donations of unwanted items. Do you have unwanted clothing, toys and bric-a-brac, or shoes and handbags that hanging around cluttering up your home? out with the old and in with the new Our charity needs good quality articles all year round How you can help: Donate unwanted items have a clear out and de-clutter Host a Recycling Day in your workplace, school, group or club - we provide the bags and will collect!! Donate unwanted lost property The money our charity shops make helps to improve carer lives on a daily basis. We feel privileged to have helped touch the lives of so many carers and hope that you can help us make a difference! Volunteering Help Trafford Carers Centre continue its valuable work with carers by volunteering in one of our two retail stores in Stretford or Sale. We have been operational for the past 20 years, and are currently supporting almost 4000 carers in Trafford. Funding cuts means we need your support more than ever. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers who will work well with the retail team to provide a professional and friendly face for the charity and help raise vital funds. There are different tasks within the shops for volunteers to do depending on their skills, interests and the need of the shop. Please contact Nina for more information. Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 13

14 Carers Referral Form Carer s are a great way to learn new skills, have fun & meet new friends. Carers Choir meet every Monday, 4:15pm 5:40pm Sale West Community Centre, Newbury Avenue, Sale Art : The Art meets every Monday from 10.00am 1.00pm at Trafford Carers Centre. Gardening : The Gardening meets every Monday from 09.30am 12.30pm at the Gorse Hill Allotment on Burleigh Road Craft : The Craft meets every Friday from 10:00am -1:00pm at Trafford Carers Centre. Flower Arranging : The Flower Arranging group meets the last Wednesday of the month from 10.00am pm at Trafford Carers Centre. The Genealogy : The Genealogy takes place on the 1st & 2nd Wednesday of the month from 1:00pm-3:00pm at Broomwood Community Centre, Mainwood Road, Altrincham WA15 7JU 14 Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk

15 Dates for your Diary Dates for your Diary October & November 2017 (See pages 8, 9 & 14 for venues) MON TUE WED THU FRI 2 Art 10-1 Gardening 10-1 Confidence Building pm Mindful Yoga Genealogy at Broomwood Bereavement Teen Evening 5 Drop-in Carers Craft 9 Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga 9-12 Sleep Clinic Genealogy at Broomwood Teen Evening 12 Drop-in Meditation at the Hope Centre 1-3 Trafford Autism Draft Carers Craft 16 Art 10-1 Gardening Teen Evening 19 Drop-in Carers Breakfast Carers Craft 23 Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga Flower Arranging 2-3 Mental Health Support OUTT Halloween Trip 26 Drop-in Carers Craft 30 Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga Genealogy at Broomwood Bereavement Teen Evening / Halloween Party 2 Drop-in 12-2pm Carers Board 3 Carers Craft Art 10-1 Gardening Gel Nails Session Mindful Yoga pm Guided Relaxation Session Genealogy at Broomwood Teen Evening Yrs Carers Coffee & Drop-in Meditation at the Hope Centre 10 Carers Craft Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga pm First aid Training 15 Teen Evening Yrs Drop-in 17 Carers Craft Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga 22 I AM MORE Young Carer Exhibition Stretford Hall 6-8pm 23 Drop-in 24 Carers Craft Art 10-1 Gardening Sleep Clinic Mindful Yoga Flower Arranging 7-8pm Mental Health Support 1 Drop-in 2 Carers Craft 10-1 Please note that dates & venues are subject to change. If you would like to attend any of the activities we recommend that you call to check the activity is still running. Tel: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk 15

16 Dates for your Diary December 2017 (See pages 8, 9 & 14 for venues) MON TUE WED THU FRI Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga AGM 1-3pm Genealogy at Broomwood pm Bereavement Carers Xmas Lunch The Boathouse Sale waterpark 10-1pm Carers Craft 11 Art 10-1 Gardening pm Confidence building workshop Mindful Yoga pm Genealogy at Broomwood Meditation at the Hope Centre Drop-In 1-3 Autism Support Meeting pm Carers Craft 18 Art 10-1 Gardening Mindful Yoga Mental Health Support Teen Evening Yrs Drop-In pm Carers Craft De Clutter Session 1.30 at the Wellbeing Centre 25 Christmas Day Bank Holiday 26 Boxing Day Bank Holiday Please note that dates & venues are subject to change. If you would like to attend any of the activities we recommend that you call to check the activity is still running. Trafford Carers Centre, 1st Floor, 19B School Road, Sale, M33 7XX Carers Helpline: Wellbeing Centre: Fax: e: info@traffordcarerscentre.org.uk w: Opening Times Monday to Friday 9.00am 4.30pm Except Wednesday 9.00am 8.00pm Carers 16 Registered Charity Number Company Limited by Guarantee Number