Kent Adult Carers' Strategy
Our vision for carers
Carers come from all walks of life, ages, ethnicities and backgrounds - anyone can find themselves in a caring role at some point in their life.
In this strategy, we use the Care Act 2014 legal framework and therefore, we define a carer as someone in an unpaid role who provides or intends to provide care and/or support to another adult. They may be mums and dads, husbands, wives, partners, brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbours.
This plan has been developed with carers, people that rely on care and support and other key stakeholders and we have committed to work towards our vision of:
“Making a difference every day by supporting and empowering you to live a fulfilling life whilst being a carer, as long as you are willing and able.”
We aim to work in partnership to achieve this ambition, by focusing on the following areas that need to ‘wrap around’ the carer:
- Supporting you to be you - to live a full life, carers have told us they need the right support so they can make time to get everyday tasks done. Support also needs to allow time for doing what contributes to someone’s own identity - including help to participate in employment, education and social activities.
- Providing the best support possible - carers have been clear that they, and the people they look after, need to be treated with respect and supported through every stage of their journey - not just during a crisis. We are committed to listening and learning from people’s experiences, so this can inform the way we provide and commission support in the future.
- Positive outcomes - the 10 areas that make up this principle have been influenced by carers’ stories. Everything we do alongside providers and partner organisations should focus on what makes a real difference and leads to positive change in carers’ experiences. By monitoring these outcomes, we will know when our shared vision is being delivered.
- Key moments - as well as the need for ongoing advice and contact, carers have identified specific times when support is particularly important for them, starting with the first conversation they have about their new caring role. These have been emphasised, so that in partnership, we can shape how and when support should be offered.
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