St Helens Carers Centre

St Helens Carers Centre is an independent registered charity that supports unpaid carers looking after someone who lives in the St Helens area.

At the centre they aim to support both young and adult carers to recognise their own needs, have their voices heard, help with their physical and mental wellbeing, and ensure they are fully understood, valued, and supported in their caring role.

If you are providing care for a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health condition or an addiction and cannot cope without your support, then you are a Carer. Carers may undertake tasks such as cooking, cleaning, personal care e.g., dressing, washing, toileting. Other tasks include emotional care, administering & collecting medication, managing the family budget and so on

Adult Carers Assessments

An Individual Carers Assessment is when you have your needs assessed, as a carer, without the person whom you care for being present (the person you care for must be over 18 years of age). This would take place with a Wellbeing officer from the St Helens Carers Centre, as the service carry out these assessments on behalf of the local authority.

A Carers Assessment is a more in-depth discussion and will consider the different ways caring affects your life and works out how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family. You will talk about your caring role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis, your feelings about caring, your physical, mental and emotional health, and how caring effects your work, leisure, education, wider family and relationships. The information provided in your assessment can then be used to identify your support needs and to discuss how these could be met. This might mean that St Helens Carers Centre can give you help or put you in touch with other organisations that you can talk to. If eligible, you will receive a personalised support plan. In this there may be specific services and support identified for yourself, which can help to balance your time and responsibilities. You will receive a copy of your support plan. This information will be kept on St Helens Carers Centre records as well as with People's Services (St Helens Adult Social Care & Health Service).

Alternatively, you can also access a Joint Carers Assessment. This would be with you, the person you care for and a care manager from Peoples Services. They would complete your Joint Carer & Community Care Assessment and subsequent support plan for the person you care for, if eligible. If you have an eligible need, the information obtained from you will be referred to the St Helens Carers Centre Wellbeing team who will complete your Carer Support Plan.

Once registered with the Carer Centre, they can provide help/advice with the following:

• Practical help - Details on how and where to access services for both the carer and cared for person, such as aids and adaptations, equipment such as wheelchair hire, accessible holidays, respite breaks, voluntary agencies and local activity groups for disabled children, vulnerable adults, older people and those with mental ill health

• Welfare benefits - Access to a specialist team of Welfare Benefit Advisors who can support you with form filling. They can complete full means tested benefit checks, which take into consideration all household members to ensure Carers are receiving the benefits they are entitled to. They can offer support in areas such as, applying for the Household Support Fund, which can help if support is needed with things like energy bills, food and essential items.

• Carers rights and employment issues - Advice on carers rights, employment law, where to seek detailed information.

• Carer support groups - Carer support groups are a great way for carers to talk to others who are in a similar situation, enabling them to share information and advice, often providing them with a feeling of strength and support.

• Training and Leisure Courses - Caring can be quite demanding and some of the skills may be new to you. Also, caring can become isolating and mean that carers lose opportunities for themselves. They have a range of training courses and information sessions based at the Carers Centre. This can be training to help you in your caring role such as moving & handling, recreational classes to give you a break such relaxation techniques or courses to develop your own skills or help you to return to work, such as computer skills. All the courses are free of charge.

• Free Holistic Therapies - These include head massage, facials, reflexology and much more! The sessions give Carers the opportunity to relax, and should they need to speak to a staff member following their therapy they can do so.

• Carer membership card - Once registered with the Carers Centre you are entitled to their membership card for free. This shows you are a registered carer with us in addition to giving you lots of discounts at various local shops and businesses. To access this card please drop into the Centre and have your photograph taken and they will then issue your card. Its lasts for 12 months and can be renewed for £1 each year.

• Discounted Gym Membership - Carers can receive a discount on Go Active Gym Membership when registered with the service.

• Parent Carers - Full Time Staff Member dedicated to supporting Parent Carers. The post holder is responsible for providing up to date information, on a regular basis about services/events/training that is relevant to Parent Carers. They also organise and facilitate social events & training sessions for Parent Carers.

• Young Adult Carers - The service also supports Young Adult Carers, aged 18-25 years (up to 25th Birthday). This includes a specific social group for young adults, emotional and practical support, and assistance with employability and/or benefits. For further information please contact the Adult Carers Centre on 01744 675615

• Young Carers - The Young Carers Team are based on the second floor at 18 Cotham Street, Saint Helens, WA10 1SJ. This service is for 6-18-year-olds and offers: Young Carer Assessment and Support Plans, Residential Trips, Regular Age-Specific Activity Sessions, Training Workshops/Maths Tuition. For further information on the Young Carers Service, please call 01744 677279.

Contact Details

Telephone: 01744 675615 (Adult Carers) or 01744 677279 (Young Carers)

Email: info@sthelenscarers.org.uk

Website: https://www.sthelenscarers.info

Address: St Helens Cares Centre, 31-35 Baldwin Steet, St Helens, WA10 2RS

St Helens Carers Centre is open Monday to Friday 9:30am - 4pm. Late night is every Tuesday until 8pm. During opening times Carers can drop in or telephone for advice or support on 01744 675615.