Carers UK Sign Up Information

Welcome to your August members' email. We hope you are keeping well and find the following news and opportunities to get involved in Carers UK's work both helpful and informative.

We hope you can join us for our 2020 online AGM and Members' Conference which takes place on Thursday 8 October from 10am. As a duty of care to our members, this year's conference will take place entirely online and we hope this will allow many more carers than usual to join us from across the UK.

Registration will be opening very soon, so please keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

We are delighted to let you know that Nick Baird CMG CVO has been appointed chair elect of Carers UK; he joins the board immediately and will begin his chair role in October 2020. Nick brings a wealth of insight and experience to Carers UK, having previously held a number of senior positions within Government and at the international energy company Centrica, where he played a leading role championing the rights of unpaid carers in the workplace.

Nick will take over from Professor David Grayson CBE who has served in the role since 2012. You will be able to read more about Nick's appointment in the autumn issue of Caring magazine.

We are delighted to announce a 12-month partnership with Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland. Rotary is one of the world's leading humanitarian service and membership organisations with a network of over 45,000 members and 1,700 clubs in Great Britain and Ireland. We will be working with Rotary members to raise awareness of caring and Carers UK, including developing a Rotary Carers UK Ambassador volunteer role to connect and support carers within their local communities.

For more information, please email megan.over@carersuk.org

During the last few months, our Caring Caller volunteers have made over 180 calls to Carers UK members to check in on how they are feeling. These calls aim to offer support to anyone feeling anxious and isolated during the coronavirus crisis. To request a call from a Caring Caller, please email membership@carersuk.org

Over 400 carers have now attended our twice weekly online meet-ups. If you haven't tried one yet, we'd love to see you there. On Mondays at 3pm we hold Care for a Cuppa, which is an opportunity for you to take a short break and share your experiences with other carers from across the UK.

On Thursdays at 3pm we run Share and Learn, where we invite external guests to facilitate sessions on many topics, from carer wellbeing to creative writing and music. In July, professional singer and carer, Jacky Webbe had everyone singing and dancing to a string of Motown hits!

To register for one or more of our online meet-ups, visit our website.

If you aren't sure which benefits you are entitled to, the Turn2us benefits calculator is now available on our website, making it easier to work out what you can claim. The calculator is supplied by Turn2us, a national charity that helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services.

Brought to you by the Disability Living Foundation, Carers UK AskSara is a guided tool that provides impartial guidance about all types of aids and adaptations. These can help you with daily caring tasks, as well as helping those you care for live more independently. Just choose a topic, answer a few basic questions and get advice.

Our annual report for 2019-20 is now available on the Carers
UK website. We hope you'll enjoy reading about what we achieved for carers during 2019-20 and what we have committed to do in the final year of our current five-year plan.

Best wishes, 

Michael Shann

Head of Membership and Volunteering

Welcome to your October members' email. At a time when many parts of the UK are facing tighter restrictions due to the pandemic, we know that this is an unsettling and difficult time for many of you and we hope you are keeping well. 

This week we have launched a new research report, 'Caring Behind Closed Doors - 6 months on' which examines the impact the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have on carers' lives. Over 5,900 carers and former carers completed our recent survey, so thank you very much to those of you who shared your experiences.

Our new report reveals that the majority of carers are desperately worried about how they will continue to care safely through the coming winter, and that many people are already exhausted and close to burning out. 81% of carers are still providing more care than before the COVID-19 pandemic, 40% because the needs of the person they care for have increased and 38% because of local services reducing or closing.  

We are therefore calling on Government to provide more support for carers over winter, and introduce a New Deal for Carers to better support carers and those they care for. Longer term, carers also need to be placed at the heart of a reformed and sustainable social care system that provides more support to both those providing and receiving care.

Thank you to everyone who joined our first online AGM and Members' Conference on 8 October. This was our largest conference ever in terms of the number of members who joined, and the number of plenary and breakout sessions held throughout the day. We were really pleased that 89% of you said you found the conference 'excellent' or 'good', and we really appreciated your positive engagement with the conference speakers throughout the day. Thank you also for your patience and understanding with a couple of the technical hitches we experienced during the day.

For those who couldn't attend, or who would simply like to revisit what was discussed, you can view recordings from the day, as well as slides and resources from speakers, on our website.

Please note that not all sessions are available yet, so please bear with us as we continue to add recordings.

In September we dedicated one of our weekly Share and Learn online meetups to discussing the challenges faced by carers from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Twenty carers took part in a stimulating and wide-ranging discussion and we have followed up one of the suggestions made by setting up a new section of our online Forum for carers from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

On Carers Rights Day (26 November) we will also be holding our second Share and Learn session focused on the needs of Black, Asian and minority ethnic carers. This online meetup will feature a discussion with Sylvia Thompson from Birmingham Black Carers Support Group. All carers are welcome to join this session and you can register at carersuk.org/cuppa

Taking the seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and the person you care for from flu. If you are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person, who may be put at risk if you became ill, you are eligible a free flu jab, according to government policy. You should also be eligible if you''re receiving Carer''s Allowance. If you feel this applies to you, you have the right to request one from your GP surgery or local pharmacist. For more information, visit our website.

Nearly 700 carers have attended the twice-weekly online meetups we've been providing during the pandemic. Every Monday at 3pm we hold our Care for a Cuppa sessions when you can join a supportive group of carers to talk about how you're feeling and any challenges you are facing at the moment.

On Thursdays at 3pm we also hold our Share and Learn sessions when we invite a guest speaker to facilitate a discussion on a specific issue related to caring. If you haven't yet joined one of our online meetups, we hope you will give them a try by registering at carersuk.org/cuppa

As one of our members said, they were "just what I needed, to be around like-minded people who get where I''m coming from."

Best wishes, 

Michael Shann

Head of Membership and Volunteering

Your Caring magazine - Autumn issue

Usually at this time of year we look forward to meeting many of you in person at our AGM and Members' Conference. Given the current circumstances, we have organised it instead this year as an online conference on 8 October, and are excited that over 400 of you have now registered to attend, to fill all of the places that we have available.

If you registered to attend, you should now have received your delegate packs with all you need to join on the day. If you have responded to our follow-up email to let us know your preferences for the optional sessions, we will be in contact shortly to confirm which sessions you have been allocated to. If you know that you cannot attend, please email us at membership@carersuk.org to let us know.  

We've really enjoyed meeting many of you at our online meetups during the past few months. Since May we've run nearly 50 of these twice-weekly sessions, with an average of 14 carers joining each one. Carers Wales have also been running their own series of online 'Me Time' sessions. Many of you have told us how valuable you've found these opportunities to connect with other carers. One of our regular members recently said, "Thank you for running these sessions - I don''t think I could have got through the lockdown without them." To register to attend one of our online meetups, please visit carersuk.org/cuppa.

All Carers UK staff continue to work from home so please bear with us if we take a little longer than usual to respond to any letters you may have sent us. If you have any questions about your membership, please get in touch at membership@carersuk.org

Michael Shann

Head of Membership and Volunteering

Welcome to your latest members' email which includes lots of news and updates on Carers UK's work. 2020 has been a long year and with many parts of the UK experiencing further lockdowns during November, we have lots of opportunities for you to get involved online.

We are delighted that Carers UK has been chosen by the Telegraph as one of four charities it is supporting through its 2020 Christmas Appeal. Coverage so far has included a feature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on carers, and an interview with Carers UK''s patrons, Johnnie and Tiggy Walker. Read more about the appeal.

Carers Rights Day, which takes place on Thursday 26 November, is almost here. With the COVID-19 pandemic placing increasing pressure on carers, it''s never been more important to inform carers of their rights. This Carers Rights Day, we want to empower you and other carers with information and support, so that you can feel confident asking for what you need: whether that''s in the workplace, in a healthcare setting, interacting with professionals or at home. Please help us spread the word by sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter or create your own by downloading our social media graphics.

Thank you to all of the Yorkshire-based carers and professionals who joined us on 11 November for our latest carers event held in collaboration with Carers Leeds. With over 35 participants, this online event featured a discussion on the key findings from Carers UK's recent Caring behind closed doors: six months on report; reflections from local carers on the challenges they have faced during the pandemic; updates on how Carers UK and Carers Leeds have supported carers during the past 8 months; and a session run by Mind in Harrow on tips for staying positive through the winter.

"I thought this was incredibly informative, I believe every staff member in the public and private care sector needs to be aware of this information and it was very powerful having people share their stories."

Being Heard is our self-advocacy guide for carers to help you get your voice heard when you care for someone, as well as speaking up for the person you care for.

We''ve updated these guides for Carers Rights Day 2020, packed with new information to help you communicate your needs with professionals, know your rights and look after your wellbeing.

The guide stems from work carried out by Carers Scotland and the Scottish Government since 2011, and each guide reflects the situation for carers in each UK nation. Download your copy.

As we enter the festive period, we're aware that many carers are finding their situation increasingly difficult, with more financial pressures and the additional challenges of caring during a pandemic.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of carers we support through the Helpline has tripled, with over 1,900 carers speaking to our specialist advisers in October 2020 alone.

We rely on voluntary contributions to continue to support carers. We understand that not everyone can donate, which is why our membership remains free, but if you are able to make a donation, we'd be very grateful: carersuk.org/how-you-can-help/donate

If you are unable to donate but would like to support our work, please share this link with your networks.

Please do get involved in our online events this December:

Care for a Cuppa

Our weekly 'Care for a Cuppa' chats continue on Mondays from 3- 4pm and are an opportunity for you to talk about how you're feeling and any challenges you're facing at the moment. On 21 December we'll also be holding a special 'Christmas Care for a Cuppa' and hope you'll be able to join us decked out in Christmas jumpers and perhaps with some decorations on your Zoom account!

Share and Learn

Upcoming sessions include a conversation with black, Asian and minority ethnic carers, a book reading from author Sarah Challice, comparing experiences of caring with a group of Swedish carers, and a Christmas sing-along.

You can register and find further details at: carersuk.org/cuppa

Wishing you all well, 

Michael Shann

Head of Membership and Volunteering

Your Caring magazine - Summer issue

It's now four months since the government introduced a range of measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. We know that this has been an incredibly challenging time for so many carers across the UK, and that the easing of some restrictions is causing additional concerns for some of you. We hope you and your family are keeping well and are finding our regularly updated coronavirus guidance helpful: carersuk.org/coronavirus

We're really pleased that many of you have joined us for our weekly online meet-ups and have found it so beneficial to connect with other carers during this testing time. As one carer said recently, "Monday afternoons are my favourite time of the week because it's when I join a Care for a Cuppa session." 

We''re also continuing to run online Share and Learn sessions on Thursday afternoons. Upcoming sessions will involve discussions about our mental health, adaptive aids & equipment to support independent living, and a Motown and soul singer! To register for future online meet-ups, please visit carersuk.org/cuppa.

All Carers UK staff continue to work from home so please bear with us if we take a little longer than usual to respond to any mail you may have sent us. If you have any questions about your membership, please get in touch at membership@carersuk.org

Michael Shann

Head of Membership and Volunteering