1. Carers Strategy Launch
Joe Fowler Director of Commissioning

2. WHO IS A CARER?
A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends to enable them to cope and carry on with their day to day life as they could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or suffers with mental ill-health or substance misuse
This is not the same as someone who provides care professionally, or through a voluntary organisation.
Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age. Many feel they are doing what anyone else would in the same situation; looking after their mother, son, or best friend and just getting on with it.
Carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it; if they did not do it, who would and what would happen to the person they care for?’

4. Key Facts 1 in 10 people in Sheffield
NOMIS Census 2011

5. The ever changing carer population - 55 people start caring in Sheffield every day
Please note that these figures are estimates, calculated using the best national estimate of transitions into and out of unpaid care.
Michael Hirst, of the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York, carried out the research on behalf of Carers UK. Please see Appendix 1 of Need to know (2014) for methodology

6. DIVERSITY OF CARERS
More men are now caring and this will continue to increase
Carers are providing more hours of care
Over 70% of carers are of working age
Differing caring situations, the following is a list of some examples and is not exhaustive:
Parent carers of children
Caring for partner due to frailty and being elderly
Caring for a disabled spouse
Caring for parents who don’t live in the same house
Sandwich carers – caring for elderly and other family members
Lifelong caring, from birth – learning disability or another disability
LBGT carers
Carers within the black and minority ethnic communities
the cared for situation e.g. differing conditions, long term conditions and disabilities, whether they live together, or they are a family member or friend

8. AGE and WHERE CARERS LIVE
Youngest carers: at all categories of hours of care, the ward with the greatest number of younger carers (aged 25-49) is Burngreave Older carers: The greatest numbers of older carers tend to reside in the more affluent areas of the city except in the 50 hours or more category which then reflects the most deprived parts of the city.

9. CARERS STRATEGY An ambitious plan for every carer to have:
a life of their own
the choice to care and stop caring without recrimination
equality of opportunity to life chances including education, training, work and leisure activities
Our Carers Strategy will enable families to stay well and tackle financial hardship.

10. WHAT DID CARERS SAY
‘If you got the services and support right for my family member, I wouldn’t have any needs’
Information and advice: I want the information I need, when I need it
I want good advice to help me through the maze
If services are right for the cared for person then it will make it easier for me
Time for me so I can have a life outside of caring
I want to feel in control and safe and have a plan for emergencies
I don’t want to be in financial hardship

11. RESPONDING TO THE STRATEGY
1. Changes to council tendered carer support services
A menu of different options for breaks
Community based outreach to help find hidden carers
Core city wide contract including the statutory duty carers assessments
2. Changing behaviour of the wider society and services to carers e.g. employers, doctors, family and friends and getting services that support cared for people to recognise and support carers
General awareness raising campaign
Sheffield Standard – for organisations who will interact with carers e.g. social care providers, housing, GPs, hospitals, employers
Sheffield Carer Card (carer passport)
Changes in Adult Social Care

12. A NEW APPROACH TO CARERS ASSESSMENTS
The new carers service will be undertaking Carers Assessments as set out in section 10 of the Care Act.
This will include:
Assessment of the carer
Allocating a personal budget
Developing a support plan
Helping identify services
Definition: Where a carer requires an ‘intervention’ rather than just a ‘one off’ piece of information this is defined as a Carers Assessment (an assessment of eligibility, personal budget and support plan may not be required if the solution resolves the issue)

13. WHAT WILL THE STRATEGY CHANGE FOR CARERS?
By 2020 every carer should have appropriate opportunities to:
Access at the right time, the right type of information and advice for them, their family and the person they care for
Understand their rights and have access to an assessment
Have a voice for themselves and the person they care for
Have regular and sufficient breaks
Continue to learn and develop, train or work (if they wish to)
Look after their own health