Information Booklet: Lincolnshire

www.carersfirst.org.uk

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information

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Information Booklet

Do you look after a relative or friend who due to ill health,
physical or mental illness, disability, frailty, or addiction
cannot manage without your support?
If yes, then you are a carer and you may want to talk to
someone about your caring situation and discuss what
support you may need.
This Information Booklet explains more about the
services we offer to ensure carers get any help
needed.

For carers living in Lincolnshire

2018

We care because you do

We care
because
you do.

Our trained staff work in the community supporting carers
by providing emotional and practical support, advice,
information and guidance.

Carers FIRSTinformationsupport
advice
FIRST Choice for Carers

Who we are

Carers FIRST was established as a project in Tonbridge, Kent in 1991,
by carers in who wanted to help others in a similar situation. In 1996
Carers FIRST took on charity status and became a registered not for
profit organisation.
27 years on, Carers FIRST has grown its services, merging with fellow
carers organisation Medway Carers Centre (2013) and expanding to
new geographical areas.
Carers FIRST now supports over 23,500 carers across Lincolnshire,
Kent, Medway, Essex and the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest
and Haringey.
Carers FIRST delivers The Lincolnshire Carer Service in partnership with
Lincolnshire County Council’s Customer Service Centre, supporting
carers and families by providing specialist information, advice and
guidance, as well as emotional
support, training and activities,
giving carers an opportunity to
have a break from their caring
role and help them to get the
support they may need.

2 0300 303 1555

What we do

For many, caring is a rewarding and positive experience, but for
others, without the right help and support, caring can feel
overwhelming. For some, caring can trigger feelings of loneliness and
frustration and many often find their own physical and emotional
health, work or finances affected. You don't have to wait until you
are struggling or there is a crisis to talk to us. If you're looking after a
friend or relative, you can talk to someone about your situation and
discuss what support you may need. Carers FIRST offers a range of
support including the following:

Surgeries
We provide personalised 1-1 support to carers by running surgeries
within community hubs across our localities. Carers can make an
appointment via our Carers Hub at a specific time convenient to
them. They can then meet with one of the team to receive the
individualised support they require.

Social groups
These groups provide an opportunity for carers to meet together for
mutual support and friendship. They are informal, sociable groups,
with refreshments available to purchase. Groups may be carer led or
facilitated by a Carer Support Worker.

Support groups
These are groups which usually focus on health specialisms, for
example mental health, substance misuse or autism. There is always
a member of Carers FIRST staff at the group and we often invite
guest speakers to attend to offer specialist advice.

[email protected] 3

Hospital based staff:
We have staff who work from hospitals in Lincolnshire who are there
to offer support, advice and guidance while you or someone you look
after is admitted.

If you or the person you care for have a planned admission, let us
know on the Carers Hub number as soon as you have an admission
date. We will then be able to liaise with health professionals and
adult services to offer support so that not only your stay, but also
your discharge from hospital can run as smoothly as possible.

Hospitals we work from currently are: Lincoln County; Grantham &
District; Boston Pilgrim; County Hospital Louth; Skegness and District
General Hospital; Johnson Community Hospital (Spalding); Stamford
and Rutland Hospital

4 0300 303 1555

Accessing Carer Support

Carers FIRST delivers The Lincolnshire Carer Service in partnership
with Lincolnshire County Council’s Customer Service Centre, who
provide an extensive telephone service for all Lincolnshire residents
delivering advice and information on all council services which
includes the gateway to accessing carer support.

Someone is available to take your call Monday to Friday 8am—6pm.

01522 782224

[email protected]

Carers and professionals can refer to The Lincolnshire Carers Service
by calling the Customer Service Centre (CSC) where you will speak with
a member of the CSC Carers Team who will provide immediate
information to support carers as well as offering a carers assessment
which can be completed on the telephone with the carers team or
face to face by Carers FIRST.

Carers will then be referred to Carers FIRST for on-going support when
a member of the Carers FIRST team will contact the carer to talk about
what support we can provide within their community.

Carers can contact the CSC at anytime, regardless of whether or not
they are receiving support from Carers FIRST.

[email protected] 5

How to Contact Us

Once a carer has been referred to Carers FIRST for on-going support,
they can contact us through our Carers Hub which is a dedicated line
with someone available to take your call from 9am—5pm Monday to
Thursday and 9am—4:30pm on Fridays.

0300 303 1555*

If you are a carer who is new to our service, a member of our Carers
Hub team will call and take some basic information about the person
you care for. They will then talk through your caring situation,
provide information and advice relevant to your caring role including
details about our services which may help you. We will send you a
'welcome pack' which includes details of our universal service offer.

www.carersfirst.org.uk

[email protected]

Twitter.com/carers_FIRST

Facebook.com/carersFIRST

*Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number
and count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls.

6 0300 303 1555

Carers Assessments.

Under the Care Act 2014, a carer is described as an individual who
provides or intends to provide care for another adult. If this describes
you and your life is affected by your caring responsibilities, you are
entitled to a carer’s assessment. It doesn’t matter how much care
you provide or what your financial situation is. The assessment will
review your needs and identify if you are eligible for help or support

A Carers Assessment is the opportunity for you to tell someone what
impact caring has on you. The assessment may be carried out on the
telephone, in a community venue, or in some circumstances at your
home. The assessment will look at how caring affects your life,
including for example, physical, mental and emotional needs, and
whether you are able or willing to carry on caring. It's a chance to
focus on you and your needs.

As a carer, you are entitled to a carer’s assessment regardless of
whether the person you are looking after has had their own needs
assessment or is eligible for support.

[email protected] 7

Your Carers Assessment should cover the following areas:
- Your caring role (the things you do for the person you care for)
- Your own health

- Your feelings and choices about caring, work, study, leisure and
housing.

Following the assessment we will make a plan to help support you.
We will also let you know whether you are entitled to financial
support. We use the Care Act 2014 carer's national eligibility criteria
to help us make this decision.

Carers who do not meet the national eligibility criteria can still access
the wider support from Carers FIRST. This includes opportunities to
attend support groups, training workshops, support with benefits
checks and receive on-going information advice and guidance which
will help you with your caring role.

If at any time you feel that things you do to look after your relative or
friend has changed or increased you can ask for another assessment.

If you would like to talk to someone about your caring situation and

wish to have a carers assessment, you can contact the Lincolnshire

Carers Service by calling the Lincolnshire County Council Customer

Service Centre who will talk to you about your caring role and

depending on your own preferences and needs, will offer support

over the telephone, or refer you to Carers FIRST for support in the

community. 01522 782224

8 0300 303 1555

Young Adult Carers

Young Adult Carers are young people aged 16-24 who provide
unpaid care for a relative or friend with an illness or disability,
mental health condition or an addiction. Growing up can be tough,
trying to juggle school/college, work, relationships, hormones,
friends and family. When you are caring for someone, it can be even
harder.

In Lincolnshire we have staff that will support carers aged 16-24. They
work with local schools and colleges to identify and support Young
Adult Carers and ensure that they have someone that they can talk
to about the choices that they have before them.

Support will include the opportunity to talk to staff and attend Young
Adult Carer workshops around building confidence and self esteem,
healthy living, support with preparation for employment. Young
adults can meet others that are in caring roles, develop friendships
and gain from the support of experienced staff. Statutory Carers
Assessments are also offered to those aged 18 and over.

For more information call our Carers Hub or take a look on our
facebook page

[email protected]

[email protected] www.carersfirst.org.uk
Facebook.com/YAC.CarersFIRST

9

Carers FIRSTsupport
information FIRST Choice for Carers
advice

Caring and Working

Carers often juggle work with caring. Flexible working can help make
this easier. Examples of flexible working include: flexi-time, home
working, job sharing, part-time and compressed hours.

Carers have the right to request flexible working. This is part of a
package of family friendly measures introduced in the Work and
Families Act 2006.

The definition of 'carer' covered by this legislation is an employee who
is or expects to be caring for an adult who is one of the following:

• is a spouse, partner, or civil partner (who the employee lives with);

• is a relative of the employee;

• falls into neither category but lives at the same address as the
employee

The ‘relative' definition includes parents, parent-in-law, adult child,
adopted adult child, siblings (including those who are in-laws), uncles,
aunts or grandparents and step-relatives.

Some employers also offer unpaid leave or a career break to help
carers through difficult times.

It is up to you whether or not you tell your employer about your
caring responsibilities. However caring for a disabled person is often
unpredictable and care arrangements can be complex, so talking to
your manager about your concerns and commitments may be helpful.

You can contact us if you would like to talk in confidence about how we
can support you to continue working.

[email protected] 11

If you are interested in getting back into work, or are looking to join the
employment market for the first time, you may be interested in our
Employment Project.

This project aims to support carers and former carers into and back
into work. We will work with you to explore your readiness for work
and identify any barriers you may face.

You will be supported both through 1-1 appointments and in small
groups and have access to workshops including CV writing, application
tips and interview skills.

There may also be other opportunities to consider around education,
training and volunteering.

What you can expect from the Employment Project:

• Support in developing employment goals – e.g. building self
confidence, managing time more effectively, communications
skills

• Help to remain in employment through solution focused support
– advocating with employers and access to wider support offered
by the Lincolnshire Carers Service.

• Job/Career specific support to assist in entering employment

• 1:1 support, including mentoring and coaching, to overcome
barriers to remaining in or entering employment

• Access to Carer Learning opportunities

0300 303 1555

[email protected] 0300 303 1555

12

Caring For Yourself

It is important that you take care of your own health, even if you are
busy looking after someone else's health. Being healthy is not only
important for you, but it also helps the person you look after too.

Below are some suggestions which may help:

Let your GP know you are a carer: If you’re finding caring tiring or
difficult, it can help to tell your GP you’re a carer and discuss the
impact this is having on your own health. They will be able to offer you
advice and support, and you may be entitled to additional health
services such as a free annual flu jab if the person you care for has a
serious or ongoing health problem.

Visit your pharmacist: We know that getting an appointment to see
your GP can sometimes be difficult, so consider visiting your local
pharmacist. Did you know that many of them can offer specialist
advice on a range of health matters including minor ailments,
medication management, health checks and much more.

Sleep and eat well: Although it can be difficult, try to make sure that
you eat healthily, stay active and get enough sleep.

Take a break: Sometimes it can be difficult to take a break from the
person you look after. You may feel guilty about wanting time alone,
but it is important for your own wellbeing and you will be able to cope
better if you can find time for yourself. Try to find time to reflect and
relax, enjoy personal interests and hobbies, and socialise with friends
and family. Sometimes even taking 5 minutes to sit in the garden with
a cup of tea can rejuvenate you for the rest of the day.

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Technology

In today’s world, advances in technology have changed the way we do
things, for example shopping online and the way we communicate
with each other by email and text.

Did you know that there are technologies which could also help the
person you care for and make your caring role a little easier?

Some key areas include:

Remote monitoring and alerts: e.g. infa-red detectors mounted to the
wall of the home to monitor activity. They can tell you whether
someone is up and active, what room they are in and if someone else
has entered the property. Fall detectors which is a sensor that the
person wears and notifies you with an alert if the person has taken a
fall.

Healthcare: Mobile apps can help manage health and care. There are
apps that can train users to ease physical symptoms, such as severe
pain and that help users track their pain and other symptoms, such as
stress and fatigue.

Medicine Management: These devices remind the person to take their
medication. They can also issue the correct dosage at the right time.
Many modern devices have safety locks to prevent
overmedicating. Alerts can be sent to you (and other contacts) when
the medication has not been taken.

For more information about what technology is available please
contact us. Websites offering advice, information and useful product
reviews and comparisons include:

www.CarersUK.org www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk
www.asksara.dlf.org.uk www.unforgettable.org

1144 www.carersfirs0t3.o00rg3.0u3k1555

Caring Confidently

Carers FIRST has developed a series of workshops to help you feel
more confident with your caring role. The workshops are designed to
help you make a positive difference to your life and that of the person
you care for.

The workshops are run over 4 weeks in a safe, informal and
confidential setting with other carers. Ideally we would like you to
come to all four session but we run them throughout the year so if you
are unable to make a week you can come along to the one you missed
later on. The topics covered:-

Week 1. The Caring Role

Introductions, information, advice and discussions about services
Carers FIRST and other local organisations provide and how they may
help carers.

Week 2. Looking After Yourself

Includes a short session on relaxation, or gentle exercise and how to
take care of yourself for example helping someone move around or in
and out of bed safely

Week 3. Planning for the future

This session usually includes a talk from a solicitor, adult social care or
other professional

Week 4. Specific training to be agreed

Specialist training depending on the needs of the group, eg first aid or
health condition specific such as dementia friends training

If you would like to be put on the waiting list for the next set of
workshops in your area please call our Carers Hub on 0300 303 1555

[email protected] 15

On Going Support

When carers are registered with Carers FIRST, you are able to access
our universal services for all carers which includes support groups,
training, information and advice, help to access any benefits you may
be entitled to and telephone support through our carers hub.

We will send you regular What's On guides which details groups and
events across the county for carers which we are running.

For those carers who provide an email address we will also send
monthly e-bulletins which will let you know about wider support in
community and other opportunities you may be interested in.

Young Carers

The Lincolnshire Young Carers Service is designed to support children
and young people up to age 18 that have to care for or help care for
a family member with a disability or long term illness. Young carers
can often be the main carer in the family offering practical, emotional
or personal care.

Lincolnshire Young Carers offers a comprehensive service which gives
young carers someone who will assess their needs, provide
information, and make sure the right support is provided.

For more information or to refer a young carer please contact
Lincolnshire Young Carers Service:

01522 553275

[email protected]

16 0300 303 1555



Partnerships

Carers FIRST works in partnership with a number of organisations in
Lincolnshire to support carers including:
The Lincolnshire Dementia Family Support Service (DFSS) who help
people with a dementia diagnosis, their families and carers. This
countywide service is delivered by specialist Alzheimer’s Society Family
Support Workers who help people living with dementia, their carers
and family, to navigate through their journey of dementia ensuring
service users can step up and step down from other sources of
support they require. If appropriate Carers FIRST and DFSS will
complete a joint visit to the carer to complete a carers assessment and
support plan.

01522 692681

[email protected]

Carers FIRST works in partnership with Macmillan to support those
who are caring for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer,
ensuring quality support is provided in a timely manner.
Macmillan have Information and Resource Centres in Lincoln, Boston
and Peterborough hospitals and run several support groups across the
county. To find out more information call our Carers Hub or contact
Macmillan direct:

0808 808 00 00

www.macmillan.org.uk

18 0300 303 1555

Emergency Planning

The Carer’s Emergency Response Service (CERS) provides carers with
peace of mind that in the event of an emergency, the person you care
for will receive help and support whilst you’re not there.

In the event on an emergency or something happening that prevents
you continuing to care for your relative or friend, this free service will
implement the support that is appropriate and available, guided by
your emergency plan.

Your arrangements could be to contact a family member, neighbour or
friend who can support the person you provide care for. Alternatively,
you may wish support to be directly provided to the person you care
for in their own home. This can be for up to 48 hours (72 hours on a
Bank Holiday weekend). During that time we can plan together for
what happens next.

Once the emergency plan has been registered with Lincolnshire
County Council you will receive a Carers Identification and Emergency
Card. This is the size of a credit card you can carry with you at all times.
It displays a 24-hour emergency telephone line number and also
includes a unique identity number that links to your emergency plan.

To register and activate the plan, all you or someone on your behalf
needs to do is phone the number on the card and your emergency
plan will be followed.

For more information and to register a plan please call the carers team
at Lincolnshire County Council’s Customer Service Centre:

01522 782224

[email protected] 19

Financial Support

Often your caring responsibilities mean that your finances take a hit
with 8 out of 10 families caring for someone saying that it has had an
impact on their finances1. The benefits system is complicated, with
each benefit having its own set of rules. Carers FIRST staff are able to
navigate these benefits and our dedicated Carers Rights Advisor runs
regular surgeries to help with more complex situations.

The key benefits are:

Carers Allowance: is the main benefit for carers. You may be eligible if
you are looking after someone for 35 hours a week or more, who gets
a qualifying disability benefit and earns less than £120 per week. This is
NOT means tested.

Attendance Allowance: is a state benefit that helps with the extra costs
of long-term illness or disability. This can be either physical and/or
mental. It is for people aged 65 and over and is paid to the person with
the health condition.

Personal Independence Allowance (PIP): is a benefit for people aged
between 16 and 64 years old and who have a long term illness or
disability. Claiming this benefits can help the person you care for
qualify for other benefits and/or tax credits

To find out more, take a look at our website for fact sheets about each
benefit.

www.carersfirst.org.uk

1 Carers UK: Carers Rights Guide 2016

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Get Involved

Carers FIRST is very fortunate to have a fantastic team of volunteers,
many of whom are carers and former carers, without whom we would
not be able to run all of our services.
Across the whole organisation, we currently have over 60 volunteers
and Carer Champions who undertake a number of key roles including
administration, telephone befriending, support groups, carer forum
members, awareness raising and fundraising.
Our volunteers are given a comprehensive induction and are
supported to carry out their role and given training where necessary.

I enjoy volunteering with Carers FIRST very much.
It’s great to go home and feel like I have really made a
difference to someone

Carers FIRST continues to support carers after their caring role ceases
and for those who wish to, we would encourage you to talk to us about
potential volunteering. We believe everyone has a skill they can share
and your experiences as a carer are invaluable.
If you have a few hours a week to spare and would be interested in
volunteering your time to support Carers FIRST, please do contact us
and we can discuss how you can get involved.

[email protected]

[email protected] 21

Carers Contacts

[email protected] | www.carers.org
Offering information and advice to support carers
0808 808 7777 | www.carersuk.org
Adviceline open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm.
Advice and carer campaigns and online forum.
Carers Direct: 0300 123 1053 | www.nhs.uk
Confidential information for carers.
Lines and webchat open 9am—8pm weekdays (except
bank holidays) 11am—4pm weekends
01522 782224 | www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/adult-care
Lines open 8am to 6pm Mon-Friday, except bank holidays
Adult Social Care: 01522 782 155 | Out of hours tel: 01522 782333
Use this space to write down your important contacts:

22 0300 303 1555

supportCarers FIRSTinformation
advice
FIRST Choice for Carers

Lincolnshire Office: 2nd Floor 28 Market Place, Grantham, NG31 6LR

Central Office: Michael Gill Building, Tolgate Lane, Strood, Kent ME2 4TG

Carers FIRST is an independent, charitable organisation supporting and helping carers.
Carers FIRST is funded by Lincolnshire, Kent and Essex County Councils, Medway, Haringey

and Waltham Forest Councils, trusts and private donations.

Registered Charity No 1085430 Company No 04144820

If you no longer wish to receive information from Carers FIRST, please call our
Carers Hub so we can remove your contact details from our mailing.