Kent Adult Carers' Strategy

This video provides details of the Kent Adult Carers' Strategy in British Sign Language.

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Video transcript

This strategy sets out the vision we plan to take forward, for carers working in partnership across Kent.

We will build on the progress established via the carers grant funding and use the framework set out in the National Carers Strategy.

In Kent we have committed to deliver the national strategy in five not the suggested ten years. We will need to forge new partnerships with employers, education establishments and the Jobcentre Plus.

Who is a carer?

A carer is someone who in an unpaid capacity provides care or support to another person.

Many people do not class themselves as carers: they are mums and dads, husbands, wives, partners, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours.

Carers come from all walks of life, ages, ethnicities and backgrounds; they are not a separate group of other people.

Throughout our lives many of us will either be a carer or be cared for and the chances of becoming a carer are increasing all the time

Every year 2 million people move in and out of caring situations, carers are not a static group and every day approximately 6,000 people take on new caring roles and it is likely that in the future more and more of us will have some caring responsibilities.

This presents a real challenge in providing information, advice and guidance to support those new to caring and inform them of their rights and the services and support that is available to them.

Carers help the people to:

care for to deal with and manage problems caused by illness
providing intimate physical care such as helping someone get up, washed and dressed
undertake nursing tasks
provide a great deal of emotional support
may be called upon to supervise someone to keep them safe
often take responsibility in supporting the person theycare for to access statutory services, liaising on their behalf with organisations such as social services, health, education, housing, benefits and so on.

Carers Advisory Group

Carers Advisory Group has been established to oversee the strategic development of the support offered to carers in Kent.

The role of the group is to focus on partnerships and joint working to develop a locally agreed response to current and future carers needs.

The group’s broad aims are:

To represent the voice of carers and maintain awareness of carers needs and issues
To seek the appropriate involvement and contribution of carers support organisations in the decision making processes and input into strategy and policy development
To contribute to identifying priorities and inform the commissioning of new services
To be kept informed of progress

To support and inform the Carers Advisory Group a Carers Reference Group has been established to ensure the needs and wishes of carers are represented and discussed.

If you are a carer and would like to join the carers reference group please call Kent Adult Social Services on 01622 696258 or alternatively send an email kentcarers@kent.gov.uk

The National Carers Strategy

The National Strategy principles have been very well received in Kent and an agreement has been reached by the organisations within Kent responsible for supporting carers to aim to deliver the recommendations of the strategy within five years, not the suggested ten.

5 key sections of the National and Kent Carers Strategy:

Information, advice and carers
Kent carers have access to relevant and timely information enable them to make informed decisions and choices about the support they offer to the person/or people they care for.
Access to integrated and personalised services
Carers will be respected as expert care partners and will have access to the integrated and personalised services they need to support them in their caring role.
Having a life of their own
The National Vision is that Carers will be able to have a life of their own alongside their caring role.
Carers are not forced into financial hardship
Carers will be supported so that they are not forced into financial hardship by their caring role. There is great support for targeting financial benefits to those carers in the greatest need, in particular those who provide the most hours of care and those with the greatest financial hardship. Carers also want the opportunity to be able to combine paid employment with their caring role,
Staying mentally and physically well
Carers will be supported to stay mentally and physically well and treated with dignity