With family carers playing such an important role in so many households, Suffolk Family Carers is pleased to launch new and enhanced services for unpaid carers across Suffolk. The services, jointly commissioned by Suffolk County Council (an EfC Umbrella Member), West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Ipswich & East Suffolk CCG & Norfolk & Waveney CCG, will improve support for family carers across the whole of Suffolk for the next 5 years.

Over the coming months, Suffolk Family Carers will extend its work in communities to identify and support unpaid carers. The team will actively work with the acute hospitals, GP practices, pharmacies and care agencies to ensure early identification of new carers and training for professionals to help more carers.

In support of working-age carers, the team will link with other community organisations, including local employers, to help them identify carers in the workplace and assist with establishing carer-friendly policies. Suffolk Family Carers will also reach out to seldom heard communities to ensure that the support offered is available to everyone who needs it.

The ‘information advice, guidance’ and ‘emotional support’ services provided by Suffolk Family Carers continue to be available 7 days a week via phone (8am to 8pm Mondays to Fridays and weekend mornings), email and online chat and are now supplemented by additional methods of contact such as video call. For those who prefer a digital service, the newly refreshed website provides up to date information for all carers.

Suffolk Family Carers will continue to provide a wide range of support services, including emotional support, in addition to specialist services for young carers, advocacy, social prescribing, help for those caring for someone with a mental health condition and a wide range of useful programmes and workshops.

Working with partners, Suffolk Mind, Leading Lives, and ActivLives, Suffolk Family Carers will provide a wider range of support opportunities for family carers, including short breaks for carers, access to a wider range of care breaks and mental health and emotional support.

As more carers are identified, Suffolk Family Carers will carry out more carers’ assessments and develop more contingency plans, ensuring every family carer in Suffolk has access to the support they need for themselves.

Kirsten Alderson, CEO of Suffolk Family Carers, said:

“Carers play such an important role in so many households across Suffolk. We’ve always worked hard to ensure that our services match the individual requirements that carers have, and we are delighted to continue to provide the best possible support for carers of all ages.”

Source: Charity Today