Carers

NB Government Guidance on providing unpaid care to adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults during Covid can be found here:

Local organisations supporting carers

In addition to the family support activities offered by such groups as the Sheffield Autistic Society, SAPAG , ACCT, Sparkle Sheffield and Ray of Hope (see useful links page)  there are a number of organisations in Sheffield which offer help and support to carers:

Sheffield City Council

Sheffield Carers’ Strategy and Adult Carers Action Plan can be viewed here

Young Carers: For Sheffield’s Services to Young Carers see this page

Adult Carers: Sheffield City Council have given responsibility for their Adult Carers’ services (including adult carers’ needs assessments) to the Sheffield Carers Centre:

Sheffield Carers Centre

“If you are an adult looking after or supporting an adult who is unable to manage for themselves, we are here to help you. Sheffield Carers Centre offer advice, information, support groups and a free newsletter for carers, four times a year.” The Carers Centre has run a support service for carers in the city for nearly twenty years.”

More on services offered by Sheffield Carers Centre here

Sheffield City Council Sheffield Directory Carer’s Information

Sheffield City Council Carers’ Service Improvement Forum

“The forum puts you, as a carer, at the centre of good quality adult social care services and lets you work together with senior managers to check up on the quality of services, and find ways to make things better.”

Sheffield Parent Carer Forum Peer Support Service

November 2022: “Sheffield Parent Carer Forum are delighted to announce that our new Peer Support Service is off the starting blocks. We have now recruited Sharon Blagden as our Peer Support Manager and two Peer Support Workers. The new workers all have lived experience of caring for a child with additional needs and a good understanding of local services.”
https://sheffieldparentcarerforum.org.uk/about/peer-support-service/

Sheffield Adult Safeguarding Partnership

“Our website provides a wide range of useful information and resources for members of the public and professionals who may be concerned about adult abuse or neglect. You will find general information on keeping safe and how to report concerns”: https://www.sheffieldasp.org.uk/sasp/sasp

Disability Sheffield

See the carers’ information pages from Disability Sheffield’s Guide to independent living in Sheffield ,which you can download here.
See especially pages 43 to 45.

Sharing Caring Project

The Sharing Caring Project of  Sheffield Mencap and Gateway offer a Keep in Touch Service to older families of people with a learning disability  and regular information sessions for families to help with long term planning. For more information, we recommend you contact Sheffield Mencap and Gateway on 0114 276 7757 or the Sheffield Carers Centre on 114 272 8362.

Minority Communities Support Groups

Pakistan Advice Community Association (PACA)
PACA offers a monthly carers group as well as a craft group and, benefits
and housing advice. See this Sheffield Directory page

Roshni Sheffield Asian Women’s Resource Centre
Roshni runs a number of support groups for Asian Women carers.
www.roshnisheffield.co.uk/carers_project (0114) 250 8898

Somali Mental Health (Maan)
Maan addresses the mental health and related needs of the Somali
Community in Sheffield and runs support groups for male and female
Somali carers.
See this Sheffield Directory page (0114) 275 8556

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National organisations supporting carers

The following National Organisations offer help and advice to carers

The Carers Trust
Carers UK
The National Autistic Society pages on support for carers
HFT Family Carer Support Service

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The Care Act (2014)

The Care Act introduces a single law to replace existing complex legislation around adult social care, new duties for local authorities and partners, and new rights for service users and carers. This includes the right for carers to have their own Carer’s Needs Assessment independently of the needs assessment of the person cared for.

Your Rights as a Carer
From 1st April 2015 under the Care Act 2014, carers of adults have been given the same rights as those they care for – the right to an assessment, a care and support plan if they have eligible needs and a personal budget.

You can have a carer’s assessment even if the local authority have assessed the person you care for as not being eligible for services or if the person you care for doesn’t want their needs assessed.

Eligible outcomes for carers with support needs:

Carrying out any caring responsibilities the carer has for a child

Providing care to other persons for whom the carer provides care

Maintaining a habitable home environment in the carer’s home, whether or not this is

also the home of the adult needing care

Managing and maintaining nutrition

Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships

Engaging in work, training, education or volunteering

Making use of necessary facilities or services in the local community, including recreational facilities or services

Engaging in recreational activities

The 2015 Autism Statutory Guidance makes it clear that, with regard to carers of autistic adults, they should be involved in the conduct of assessments, preparing the care and support or support plans of those adults for whom they provide care (and when revising such plans);

Carers should also be involved in local authorities’ planning of autism awareness training and in the planning of services to autistic adults.

How to get the right support from your local authority –

“A guide to the Care Act 2014 and other laws, for family carers of an adult with learning disabilities and/or autism”
Read online from the HFT website or download the whole guide here: Hft-Care-act_Guide

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Carers’ benefits and entitlements

There is a lot of information and advice available to carers on money, benefits and your entitlements as carers:

Carers UK – Help with Benefits page
Carers Trust – webpage on Money and Carers’ Benefits
NHS page on Carers’ Benefits
Council Tax Discounts for Carers
Carers’ Allowance DWP webpage
Money Advice Service page on Carers’ Benefits
Disabled Facilities Grant scheme

Transport and travel entitlements:
Buses – “A person who receives PIP enhanced level, DLA higher rate care or higher rate attendance allowance, … may qualify to have a carer travel with them free of charge” – See Carer’s pass Sheffield 

Trains – The Disabled Person’s Railcard is for people with a disability that makes travelling by train difficult.  If you’re travelling with someone who has a disabled person’s railcard, you will also get 1/3 off your rail fare and the card can be  used to get a discount on tickets at any time of the day.

Carer Card from Disability Sheffield “The Carer Card … informs providers quickly and discreetly about the support you need as a Carer and may gain you access to things like concessionary goods and services without having to go into lots of confidential personal detail.”

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Short breaks / respite care

Sheffield City Council “provide short breaks, sometimes called respite care, to help carers, and the person they care for, to take a break. We also provide short breaks for people who don’t have a carer, to support them and maintain their independence. Short breaks are also provided for young carers.

A break can be for a few hours or a few days, depending on whether the carer needs time to attend an appointment, to have an operation, or for a rest so they feel able to continue caring for someone. A break can also be longer, if needed. The longer breaks may take place in a care home, or with a carefully selected family, this is called Shared Lives, or a live in carer may be arranged. Short breaks can also be provided so a carer can visit friends or relatives, attend an appointment or take part in activities outside the home.

Short breaks are provided for eligible carers, and for those they support. We will carry out a financial assessment to work out how much you can afford to pay towards the cost of your support. ”

Sheffield Directory page on short breaks / respite care

Sheffield Carers Centre Time for a Break service

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Sheffield Recognised Providers List

Sheffield City Council:”Our Recognised Provider List (RPL) allows adults in Sheffield who are looking for packages of care and support to choose from a list of providers who adhere to a clear quality framework”. See also our Support Services page on this scheme.

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Planning for the future

Together Matters: Resources and Information

Future planning and planning for emergencies (for carers)

Thinking-ahead-planning-guide-for-families  (from the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities)

When-im-gone-decisions-to-make etc (A guide to planning long-term care and support for disabled adults and their families, from SENSE, a national disability charity that supports people with complex communication needs.)

Campaign When Im Gone (Also from SENSE, a “report exploring families’ fears for the future, the barriers to making long-term plans for housing, care and lifestyle, and outlines the changes needed to improve the situation.”)