Gloucestershire care charity teams up with Local Employers for UK Carers Week

Gloucestershire

A Gloucestershire charity will be going into local workplaces to help raise awareness of the UK’s 7m+ working carers during this year’s UK Carers Week (5th-11th June).

Teams from Crossroads Care Gloucestershire will be manning an information stand at the St. James’s Place HQ in Cirencester on Tuesday 6th and Thursday 8th June.

Any St. James’s Place employee who also provides care for family, friends, or neighbours outside of the workplace will be able to speak to the Crossroads Care Gloucestershire team to find out more about the various levels of support available to them on a day-to-day basis.

This could include practical support in the form of respite breaks in the home, help with personal care, or Azalea Day Clubs offered by Crossroads Care Gloucestershire. They will also be able to find out a range of information relevant to unpaid carers, which will help give them the confidence to understand their rights under the Care Act 2014.

The theme for Carers Week 2023 is ‘Recognising and supporting carers in the community’ and a key part of providing support is making sure carers, particularly those carers who are also holding down jobs, are able to access the information and support they need and are entitled to.

Helen Baker, CEO at Crossroads Care Gloucestershire, said: “We’re really encouraged by how forward-thinking St. James’s Place have been to invite us into their offices for this year’s UK Carers Week. It shows a real commitment to supporting their staff and highlights the value they put on their general wellbeing and mental health.

“We know that working carers are the group least likely to seek out information and advice as they often have very little time due to work commitments. Therefore sometimes it can be easier for them to access this information through the workplace and that’s where we come in. Increasingly there’s a trend of working carers feeling they have no other option but to leave their jobs to care for someone. If we can work with employers to make sure their working carers are being listened to and empowering them with the knowledge, tools, and support network to ask for help when it’s needed, it can be a win win for the carers and the businesses.”

Robert Honnor, Divisional Director of Talent Acquisition and Development at St. James’s Place, said: “Caring for someone can be a huge responsibility and have a significant impact on the physical and mental health on both the carer and their families. At SJP we take the wellbeing of all our people seriously, and have a number of initiatives in place to support all members of the SJP community. This includes recognising events like Carers Week, which provides an important opportunity to raise awareness and increase support for all carers in our community.”

Crossroads Care Gloucestershire’s ‘Working Carer’ project offers free Carer Awareness sessions for businesses of all sizes across the whole of Gloucestershire. Specialists from the charity go into workplaces to provide valuable support, information, and advice for both the employer and those employees who are also working carers.

Crossroads Care Gloucestershire’s Working Carers Project is funded by the Carers Trust ‘Making Carers Count’ programme, which aims to reach under-represented carer groups who may be lacking vital support and information. Businesses interested in finding out more can book a free 1-hour carer awareness session online at https://crossroadscareglos.org.uk/caring-workplaces or by calling 01452 933503 to find out more.

 

More details about Gloucestershire care charity teams up with Local Employers for UK Carers Week (External Link)

 

Crossroads Care Gloucestershire

See all listings from Crossroads Care Gloucestershire

Newsletter
To sign up up for www.glos.info weekly newsletter, please click here.

Please mention www.glos.info when contacting this advertiser.

Disclaimer
glos.info try to bring you details of the best local events. Amendments to the published details can occur, so please check with the venue if uncertain.