At Caring Together we have a Carer Council for the voices of carers to be heard throughout the work of Caring Together, and elsewhere.
We want to update you on what was covered at the Council’s most recent meeting.
We are also looking for more unpaid carers to be involved in our council which meets quarterly, often by video call. If you would be interested in knowing more about joining and having your say in this way, you can click here to read more.
Or you can contact the chair of the Carer Council, Steve Acklam, at [email protected]
This is a summary of the topics discussed at the recent Council meeting.
Homecare
Information was presented and there was discussion about Caring Together’s homecare services.
We at Caring Together provide homecare because it supports unpaid carers and means they can get a break. Our focus is on quality support for the whole family. Some homecare we provided is paid for by local authorities and other homecare is provided to families on a private basis.
The Carer Council noted some of the challenges around the provision of homecare including the rates paid by some local authorities.
More information on our homecare can be found at caringtogether.org/homecare/
Charity annual report
The council were shown the latest draft of our annual report for 2022-23.
Our annual report is a statutory requirement, and it also provides an opportunity for us to talk about what we do and the impact of our work.
The report is sent to people who help to fund us, such as trusts and foundations. The Charity Commission and Companies House also have copies of the report.
Some of the information given in our report showing the impact of our work is also then used elsewhere.
There was discussion over which numbers and information are most valuable and how these can be best used, both in the report and elsewhere.
The final report will be available at caringtogether.org/about-us/annual-reports/
Fundraising
An update on fundraising was given including updates on support for counselling for carers and to provide breaks for carers in Norfolk.
An appeal was held as part of Carers Week. As for many charities, the current fundraising climate is challenging.
Free film for companies about carers
We want to be in touch with more companies so we reach more working carers and so we can build more relationships with a range of companies.
It was discussed how Carer Council should be involved in work and initiatives such as this.
Carer Council gave their thanks for the fundraising work that has been done to enable more carers to be supported.
Caring Together website
As part of the on-going work to make our website more helpful to carers and others, we have improved the menus on the Caring Together website.
There has been positive feedback and members were thanked for their input. There has been a year-on-year increase in website users.
Discussion included that there is a lot of information available on the website and what more can be done to make this easier to navigate.
Carers Rights Day
Carers Rights Day is on Thursday 23 November. Ideas for Caring Together’s plans were presented, and council asked for their thoughts.
We will again use the voices of carers given on our Carers speak out page to create a new report for this year.
It was noted the situations of carers who have already given their comments may have changed and they may have more to say about their current situation. Carers are continuing to be asked to give their views.
Council members offered to be involved in speaking to media and other about the experiences of carers as part of our Carers Rights Day activities.
We want people to show their support for unpaid carers. It was agreed to approach councillors and MPs about their positions on supporting carers.
The next Carer Council meeting
This will be held at 11am on Tuesday 14 November 2023.
