Carers Week 2022 - 'Make Caring Visible, Valued and Supported' 6-12th June - What's occurring?

[whattheydidtoFresnoBob]

Welcome Carers,

I haven't seen any posts about Carer's Week yet so here we are. Make a little time for a kindness to yourself, empty vessels don't pour. Know that you are never alone and that we are an enormous army propping up society through no choice of our own and though we may be unseen, undervalued and underpaid - we are showing up and getting on with it. May the government lead by example in recognising that grit, repairing the scaffolding and giving us the tools we need to continue. A good quality of life for all.

Anything good happening? Are you organising something? Is your workplace recognising Carer's Week?

Please add any links you have and let's have a gathering of sorts

https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/campaigns/carers-week

https://www.carersweek.org

A Recovery and Respite Plan for Unpaid Carers

Carers UK and the six other charities involved with Carers Week 2022 are calling on Government to outline additional support for carers across a range of areas – including breaks, respite and care services, infection control, identification of carers, financial help, and support to juggle work and care. Doing so would recognise the enormous impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on carers’ lives, as well as the people they care for, and help to mitigate some of the negative impacts that caring can have on carers’ own physical and mental health.

Please join us in calling on the government to develop a Recovery and Respite Plan for Unpaid Carers, to ensure all carers get the support they need. You can write to your MP with just a few clicks:

Join the campaign

I hope mumsnet HQ have something nice planned to recognise Carer's Week

Carer's in Scotland should get their supplemental payment at the end of this week, first of two for the year.

I know Wales are beginning a similar scheme, anyone know whether the rest of the UK will do the same?

to all the carers out there.
You are appreciated.

Also, bumping for the OP!

I hadn't even heard about it! Until governments recognise carers with the remuneration they deserve and proper respite it's just meaningless anyway. Dsd lives in supported accommodation but if there was proper support she wouldn't need to!

There's stuff on twitter. Some of it is moaning about Carers UK. Something about how thye're doing a virtual tea thing over zoom and people are asking how if the person you care for, needs care.

Twitter search with #Carers #CarersWeek #CarersWeek2022 brings up lots of local stuff so really worth doing a search for your area - examples are free tai chi in Manchester, yoga and luch in Bexley, and lots to promote young carers which is lovely to see.

Usual sad response to a very good question today...

You are entirely correct.

One of the statistics online today - Unpaid carers save the UK £193 billion every year.

Many unpaid carers are not aware that they are entitled to support and do not know about carer's allowance etc, hopefully this week will help get the word out...

One of my biggest problems with carer events is that I have no replacement carer/no respite and so much of what happens locally is carer only so I can't go. There has been online stuff but it just doesn't feel the same as being able to actually socialise in real life.

Feeling quite adrift from society right now.

oh yeah and we are still shielding and only able to do outdoor visits due to vaccine problems. I bet others are stuck in that boat too.

I'm actually going to the House of Commons this week to talk to MPs about carers ! I'm there for 2 hours, I'm sure I can explain 'rant' for that length of time ......

Oh excellent notapizzaeater - what are your headlines, can we add ours for you to air (rant) too please?

I am a carer on call 24/7 - that means my hourly rate is £69.70 / 168 = 41p plus my stamps for NI - I do nursing level care and ironically used to be an employed carer in the private sector where I did the same job as part of a team of 6 who were paid in the region of £

Not sure where the post went there...

I am a carer on call 24/7 - that means my hourly rate is £69.70 / 168 = 41p plus my stamps for NI -

I do nursing level care and ironically used to be an employed carer in the private sector where I did the same job as part of a team of 6 who were collectively paid in the region of £150,000 pa.

So that is what my job is worth but I am 1 person and get about £3,600 pa no insurance/ no protection/ no sick pay or leave/ no holidays / no private pension

To add to this I care for 3 people but can only claim 1 lot of carer’s allowance which makes the poor pay even more pitiful. If 3 separate people did the same amount of caring as I do they could each claim carer’s allowance.

Fire away, I've already got a long list but happy to 'discuss' others !

Look up #RealCarersWeek as well. So many talking about what it's really like to care for a loved one and how little Carers UK are doing for them.

#CarersWeek #UnpaidCarers When you fill in forms, do you class yourself as #employed?
The Government does.

Another good point from twitter.

Here are some useful links.

https://blog.discountsforcarers.com/carers-discount-list/

https://wecarecampaign.org.uk/

https://carers.org/our-social-care-campaign/carers-trust-social-care-survey-findings-2022

Teachers and schools can help identify and support young carers.

https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2022/06/05/making-sure-young-carers-are-visible-valued-supported/

Carers are just lost in society. I’m a carer for my daughter.
Its a non-stop, 365 days a year role.
The rules around carer’s allowance means I can only ever earn a small amount of money if I could find work.
I’m educated to PhD level and I’m just crumbling away doing the same things day in day out.
It would really help if there were support for employment and if there actually was respite available (our council says school is sufficient for my daughter’s needs and despite asking several times for an assessment for my needs, they find excuses not to).

Sylvia Penny
pennysfromWales
Is being made to feel like a second class cbecause you’re not seen to do a paid job & thereby do not contribute to society. Reality is unpaid carers save Governments billions of £ to the social care bill. #RealCarersWeek

@Blue4YOU have you complained to the Director of Children’s Services? Contact have a model letter on their website you can use to complain. If you have you can ask for an independent review and ultimately complain to the LGO. In certain circumstances Judicial Review might be possible. If DD has an EHCP and you appeal the educational provision you can ask for social care provision to be looked at too.

@LargeLegoHaul
honestly didn’t know I could!!
Im currently working on representing myself against our local NHS Trust in a very contentious court case (I was sexually assaulted by the clinical lead for children’s services (a paediatric consultant)) so my energy is spent. I find myself sleeping for an hour after DD goes to school as the stress of it all is so intense

Blue4YOU you poor woman, that is awful and I hope you have assistance of some kind from PALS or equivalent.

(am OP and have namechanged to highlight twitter feed btw)

@Blue4YOU You complain to the LA’s Director of Children’s Services rather than the hospital’s children’s services. Here is Contact’s page about complaining/the English model letter. And here is a list of contact details for local authority Directors of Children’s Services in England. I’m sure there will be something similar if you live in another part of the UK.

Thank you!!

@searchhashtagRealCarersWeek
no I don’t! They have defended him (not PALS) but everyone right up to the CEO. They’ve even deliberately made up a false statement and submitted it to the court. I hope the court finds them in contempt of court.
3 years of disgusting treatment by the top medical staff. I’m so out of fight!