• Fundraising Success for DCA

  

  11 September 2019

  DCA have been tirelessly working to raise more funds to be able to put on more fun activities for the Carers we support. Recently we have been very successful in gaining some funds for different areas of support as highlighted below:-

  Bolsover Rotary Club have very kindly rewarded a grant of £500 to Bolsover Young Carers for a Chatsworth Christmas visit, this will enable the Young Carers to have a fun day out and get a break from their caring responsibilities.

  Amber Valley Soroptomists International raised £150 towards activities for our Young Carers in the Amber Valley, this will go towards putting on more activities for them during school holidays.

  Here at Derbyshire Carers we are thrilled to receive £200 from #RichmondCareHome to help fund activities for the adult Carers we support, we hope to use this to put on some more pamper days.

  The National Lottery have awarded a grant to fund a Befriending Project Worker – Rural to continue to develop the Telephone Befriending Service (for the Carers we support in rural areas & who have the greatest risk of isolation and loneliness), this job is currently being advertised on our website.

  The National Lottery also awarded us a community fund for Young Carers this will go towards preventing social isolation of Young Carers.

  The Edward Gostling Foundation have given us some money to fund more activities for our Young Carers Project.

  Children in Need have also awarded us a grant for a Young Carers Mental Health worker which we have recently recruited for.

  Alvaston WI have given us £175 to help support the Young Carers.

  The Mayor of Ripley gave funds to help us provide additional emotional support to the Young Carers.

  Rothera Sharp has also kindly donated funds to support the Young Carers service.

  The Mary Potter Hospital Trust gave a grant to support a specific family that we support who was in crisis.

  We are continually working to raise unrestricted funds out in our community and if you can help us to fundraise or donate please contact Amanda – Amanda.gowing@derbyshirecarers.co.uk or ring 01773 833 833

  

  

• Derbyshire Home From Hospital Service

  

  29 August 2019

  The Derbyshire Home from Hospital Service provides practical support for vulnerable people leaving hospital, or those living at home but at risk of being
  admitted.

  Who can use the service?
  Anyone who lives in Derbyshire (outside Derby City) or is registered with a GP in Derbyshire and has limited support from family or friends.

  What sort of help does the service offer?
  • Undertaking simple shopping
  • Making sure the home environment is warm and comfortable
  • Arranging for key safes to be fitted and community alarm or telecare systems to be provided if needed
  • Supporting people to pay bills and make appointments
  • Collecting medication prescriptions
  • Helping people to find out about and access community activities to keep them connected to their communities
  • Helping people to understand care options and plan what they need for the future
  • Signposting people to other statutory, voluntary sector and community organisations as appropriate.

  Who can make referrals?
  Anyone can make a referral including self-referrals.

  How to make a referral:
  Please call 01283 817417 Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. An answerphone is available outside these hours.

  /admin/resources/home-from-hospital-service.pdf

  

• Mental Health Support

  

  28 August 2019

  Could you or someone you know benefit from accessing 1-1 support to help better manage mental health? It’s quick and easy to make a referral into the Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support Service:

  1. You can call their Single Point of Access number on 01773 734989, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm.
  There is always someone available to complete the referral form with you which usually takes around 10 minutes.

  2. They can also accept referrals via their service email.
  If you would like an electronic copy of the referral form then please email them at derbyshirerecoverypeersupportservice@rethink.org

  Thanks :)

  

• Derby City Carers Consultation

  

  21 August 2019

  As you may know Derby City Council are seeking the views of carers needs regarding information, advice and peer support.

  It is important for carers to get their views and points across as your answers will impact the Council’s decisions on carers services going forward.

  Derby City Council are holding a consultation for you as carers to fill out and share your valuable thoughts on the proposed changes.

  There is an online copy of the consultation, which you could fill out by going to

  Your city your say latest consultations

  Your views play a crucial part in the decision-making and it is important for the council to understand what support is most valued by carers and what would make the biggest difference.

  The consultation closes on Friday 13th September and we would appreciate as many carers as possible filling out this consultation and getting your much needed views across.

• Healthwatch Derbyshire’s Spotlight on Carers Event

  

  16 August 2019

  Save the Date:
  Healthwatch Derbyshire’s Spotlight on Carers Event

  When: Thursday 10th October 2019

  Where: Belper Town Football Club
  Nailers Events & Conference Centre, Christchurch Meadows, Bridge Street, Belper,
  Derby DE56 1BA (Ample parking available)

  Time: 12.30pm – 4.00pm (Light refreshments available)

  This year they were pleased to publish their carers report, “Understanding the quality of life for carers in Derbyshire”, and it is this report that has formed the theme for their annual event.

  They will feature an overview of the report, along with guest speakers talking about their experiences of being a carer, and also professional speakers discussing their work with carers.

  If you are a carer and would like to join them at this event, please complete the registration form in the attached pdf.

  There will be stalls to browse at intervals throughout the day. A light lunch will be served, following which the AGM will commence. During the AGM, participants will have the opportunity to input their top three priority areas to improve health and social care services across Derbyshire.

  Please note, places are restricted and will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

  Healthwatch booking form

• Carers in Employment at Chilwell

  

  03 July 2019

  Today we had another successful Carers in Employment event at the Haveli Restaurant in Chillwell Nottinghamshire.

  The event was to help employers understand how to support working Carers within their workforce and understand the impact of their Caring responsibilities.
  Scott Knowles from the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce was our key note speaker, Scott explained the benefits to businesses of supporting their staff who are Carers and the valuable skills Carers can bring to their job.

  There are more than 3 million people who currently have work and caring responsibilities within the UK. 1 in 9 of a workforce in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire has unpaid caring responsibilities at any one time. This work results in British businesses’ and the UK economy potentially saving up to £1.3 billion a year (www.gov.uk). It is approximated that giving them support to manage unpaid caring alongside their paid work would benefit them, their families and their employer.
  Since launching The Carers in Employment project last year, DCA have now recruited over 100 businesses in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, all of which have signed up to their Carers Pledge. The pledge states that each organisation has to nominate a key member of staff (Carers Champion) to attend regular events and training sessions that detail information to help support both the Carer and the employer within their organisation. DCA will review HR policies and procedures to enable employers to offer different levels of support within the workplace. Examples of this could be:

  Flexible working hours
  Access to a telephone
  Car parking space at/near work
  Working from home
  Unpaid and paid leave
  Career breaks
  Organisations that have introduced flexible working and special leave arrangements for Carers have judged them a success. Their message is: it makes business sense to care for Carers.
  The flexible supportive approach:
  Attracts and retains staff
  Reduces stress
  Reduces recruitment and training costs
  Increases resilience and productivity
  Reduces sick leave and absenteeism
  Improves service delivery
  Produces cost savings
  Improves people management
  Increases staff morale

  If you’re organisation would like to be part of the Carers in Employment project and sign up to our pledge then please get in contact on Tel: 01773 833833 or E-mail: employers@derbyshirecarers.co.uk

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Young Carers at John Port Spencer Academy

  

  17 June 2019

  Last week as part of Carers Week the Young Carers team delivered workshops with students in year 10 and year 12 at John Port Spencer Academy.

  This is the launch of our new Young Carers Champions programme, training the school’s prefects so that they can take the lead raising awareness of young carers in their school.

  The students explored what a young carer is and how the role might affect them.

  They then agreed on actions they can take as a group to promote conversations about young carers through their role as prefects.

  The students were fabulous and we’re excited about the project and being involved with the school.

  

  

  

  

• Take a Break Chesterfield

  

  12 June 2019

  Carers week kicked off in Chesterfield with the Take a Break event for Carers Organised by Derbyshire Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) Engagement Forum Carers Project, LinksCVS and Derbyshire Carers Association.

  Carers were treated to a delicious lunch before settling down to hear some speakers on Carers support that is out there.

  Throughout the afternoon there was craft making and massage on offer which Carers were able to take advantage of.

  Derbyshire Carers Association supports unpaid Carers across the City and County to help them continue with their caring role.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Relaxation and Pamper day in Derby city

  

  10 June 2019

  Carers week kicked off in Derbyshire with a relaxation and pamper day for Carers in Derby city.

  The carers enjoyed workshops aimed at promoting self-care.

  They engaged in a guided meditation to help calm the mind and an aromatherapy workshop where they created their tailored essential oil blends to help energise or relax, taking away with them a roller ball bottle and bath salts to help aid self-care.

  One of the Carers Pauline has this to say about the day “All the staff were very nice and helpful, soap making was my favourite activity as I learnt a new skill which was fabulous, the food and venue was very good and the massage was nice too”

  

  

  

  

  

• Volunteers Week

  

  05 June 2019

  It’s volunteers week and here at DCA we would like to say a big thank you to all our volunteers, without whom we could not do the work we do with Carers.

  

  One of our wonderful volunteers Yvonne has this to say about volunteering
  “Really enjoying my role as a telephone befriender and hope the scheme goes from strength to strength.
  Everyone in the office has made me feel very welcome and valued!”

  

  Odi has been volunteering with us for 3 months and is a great asset to the team, she has this to say “I have more confidence and I’ve developed my skills. If you are looking for a volunteer job, I recommended Derbyshire Carers Association.”

  

  We have a wonderful opportunity for a telephone befriender to help those carers that are lonely and isolated.
  Follow the link to find out more …..

  #VolunteerWeek

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