Being seen, heard, and included is about being able to have your own needs listened to, as well as speaking up for the person you care for.
Commonly unpaid carers will express that their voice goes unheard and that their role is often ignored when they should be included as a true partner in the planning, provision and review of services for the person they care for, and in being able to have their own needs met.
Themes which are regularly seen as important to support unpaid cares are:
• Access to timely, accurate Information and Advice.
• Ability to communicate fully with professionals and other support services.
• How to access to statutory services to provide the right level of support for the cared for person.
• Be able to fully consider the impact of being an unpaid carer with regards to their own time, physical, financial, emotional wellbeing and health.
• How their role might impact on their employment, career, training and study options, alongside their other commitments, family and leisure time.
• Having a break from their caring role.
Why is it important to provide feedback:
• Sefton Carers Centre is keen to make sure that we provide the best services which fully reflect the needs of unpaid carers and provide opportunities for unpaid carers to have their voice heard. Feedback will ensure we continue to provide what you need, help us improve our services or adapt them where required.
• Statutory Organisations: Feedback about services provided by Sefton Carers Centre can also be used to advise and inform other organisations or funding bodies, including statutory agencies like Social Services and the NHS, where we can use our voice as an advocate for unpaid carers to influence and impact strategies developed by these Organisations.
• External bids /funding: we can use feedback to secure external funds through bids or grants, some of which require feedback to ensure we retain or extend funding or enable new bids.
How to provide Feedback – Comments –
1. Access the link to our online form below, which focusses on services provided through Sefton Carers Centre.
2. Access the link to Healthwatch which provides a route for direct feedback about services provided by the Centre.
3. Related services and Statutory Services, we appreciate that some feedback you may wish to provide will be regarding other related services, including perhaps Social Services or the NHS, whilst we are interested to understand the impact of these services, we have also provided some direct links below where you can provide feedback directly. This will include where relevant links to formal processes.
4. Consultations and engagement, were we host or are aware of other consultation or engagement in regards to related issues which carers will be interested in will include links below.
Getting more involved if you wish to add more of a voice to improve outcomes for unpaid carers, Sefton Carers Centre host a number of carer groups. At these groups you can discuss our services and wider provision and we can use this to feed into wider provision and strategies to support carers, both locally and as part of the Chesire and Merseyside Integrated Care Partnership which includes Social Care and Health partners.
Feedback from the established Carers Voice group is regularly used to contribute into local engagement and consultations that take place across health and social care via Sefton Place, NHS People and Communities Group and Sefton MBC Consultation and Engagement Panel. See the links below to access details of these groups and how to get involved.
In addition you can also contact us via email ……………
Telephone …………………………………………..
