Carer Friendly
Published on 04 February 2019 10:31 AM
Age UK East Sussex, working toward being an official ‘Carer Friendly Organisation’
Two local East Sussex charities, Age UK East Sussex and Care for the Carers, continue to grow an effective partnership supporting the needs of the local community.
On Thursday 24 January 2019, Care for the Carers provided Carer Awareness Training to Age UK East Sussex staff and volunteers in Eastbourne. Delegates gained a clearer understanding of the role of unpaid carers, the impact of their caring responsibilities and the importance of identifying and supporting carers within the workplace. In addition, Care for the Carers shared information about the support and resources available locally for carers.
Coinciding with the training session, Age UK East Sussex has launched a new workplace policy to support staff who are carers. Age UK East Sussex commits to recruiting and retaining staff who are carers and the policy offers support to staff in order to help them balance their working and caring responsibilities.
Steve Hare, CEO of Age UK East Sussex, explains:
“Age UK East Sussex is delighted to further strengthen our being a carer friendly organisation and an ‘employer of choice’, committed to supporting staff with caring responsibilities. This is demonstrated by the introduction of our new policy for staff who are carers and may need support combining work with care. We aim to give carers the same recruitment and career opportunities as everyone else.”
Jennifer Twist, CEO of Care for the Carers, says:
“We’re delighted that Age UK East Sussex has made the commitment to being a carer friendly organisation. By developing its workplace policies, Age UK East Sussex will help carers to maintain their career alongside caring for a friend or relative. We are looking forward to continuing to work together and excited to be planning to present our ‘Carer Friendly Community’ Award to Age UK East Sussex later in the year. We hope the example Age UK East Sussex is setting encourages other organisations to take similar steps and would love to hear from other employers.”
Both charities have recently reached significant milestones. In 2018, Age UK East Sussex celebrated 70 years of supporting local older people, providing charitable services in the areas of information and advice, day opportunities, preventative health projects and services and post-hospital discharge support. In 2019, Care for the Carers celebrates its 30th Anniversary providing free practical and emotional advice and a range of services such as counselling, support groups and training.
If you are an older person, a relative, friend or professional helping care for an older person in East Sussex find out more about the support services offered by Age UK East Sussex by calling 01273 476704 (9am to 5pm every weekday), by email at customerservices@ageukeastsussex.org.uk or online at www.ageuk.org.uk/eastsussex.
If you are an unpaid carer in East Sussex looking for support please call Care for the Carers on 01323 738390 (9am to 5pm every weekday) to speak with one of the dedicated support workers, or visit its website www.cftc.org.uk You can also email Care for the Carers at info@cftc.org.uk or by text on 07860077300.