Services for carers
Often the best way to support a carer is to provide a service direct to the cared-for person, but the person carrying out an assessment has a duty to bear your needs in mind when setting up services. We can also provide services direct to you to try to help support you in your caring role.
All carers and the people they care for are individuals and we will assess your needs on an individual basis to see if there is any support that you need. There are a range of services that might help you:
- Services that give you a break
- Emotional support from other carers or people who understand
- Benefits advice
- Information or training courses
The above list is not exhaustive and you may have some ideas of your own about services that would help you. Please feel free to discuss these with us.
Information and advice
We work in partnership, with Carers Champions and Plymouth Age Concern, to set up services specifically for carers. Carers Champions act as a first point of contact for information and advice for carers throughout Plymouth and offer practical and emotional support to anyone who cares for an adult who is ill, frail or disabled.
Services to the cared-for person
When the cared-for person’s care plan is drawn up it will take account of your needs as a carer. We may be able to help you have a break from caring by providing day services, residential stays or domiciliary care visits to the person you care for. We can also sometimes make the task of caring easier by providing specialist equipment to help the cared-for person with various tasks within the home.
Carers support groups
There are a number of carers support groups in Plymouth that can provide a useful means of meeting other carers and sharing experiences, information and often informal support. To find out more information about support groups, please request a copy of the Carers Champion newsletter from the Carers Team on 01752 305587.
Eligibility and charges for services
Like all Councils, we have to prioritise the services we offer and who we offer them to. To make sure this is done fairly, we use national 'Fair Access to Care Services' (FACS) guidance, along with all other Councils in England. We also have a policy of charging for some services for a cared-for person after a financial assessment.
To find out more about FACS, please go to 'About social care services - getting help' of this website.
On a day-to-day basis it is, of course, people who are at the most serious risk that we help first. However, if you care for someone who is having difficulties at home, or if you are having difficulties providing the care that is needed, please do not hesitate to contact Adult Social Care services to discuss your situation. In the first instance, please call our contact centre by using the number below:
Advice and information for people needing adult social care services and their carers - 01752 668000.
Direct payments
If someone is assessed as needing a community care service, it may be possible for them to have the funding to pay for that service using a direct payment.
For more information about our direct payment scheme, please see our direct payment pages.