What are care and support services?
Care and support services, also known as social care services, help people who are in need of practical support due to illness, disability, old age or a low income.
Care and support services could include having a personal assistant to help you around the home, structural changes to help you move around or manage in your house, or even an alarm system so that you can call for help if you have a fall.
Social care services are available to everyone, regardless of their background.
However, social care is subject to rules about your needs and ability. Services can also support the families or carers of people who receive social care.
If you are looking after an ill, disabled or frail elderly relative or friend, you should recognise yourself as a carer. Carers can get a range of support from social care, and can be vital for helping arrange social care support for the person they care for. There are charities that support particular groups of carers, including sibling carers and young carers.
If you want to talk to someone about how to get support as a carer, you can call the Carers Direct helpline on 0300 123 1053.
What benefits can carers get?
Knowing what benefits you and the person you care for are entitled to can make a real difference.
For example, you might be able to get a break from caring, or get help with pay for certain costs, or make a difference to your pension entitlements in the future.
There are three main types of benefits:
- Benefits if you're not in paid employment – "earnings replacement benefits".
- Benefits that help pay for extra costs, such as those relating to disability or having a child.
- Benefits and tax credits that top up low income if you're in work – "means-tested benefits"
Carer's Allowance, an earnings replacement benefit, is the main benefit for carers. You may be eligible if you are looking after someone for 35 hours a week or more.
For more information on what benefits you can get as a carer click the link below:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support/benefits-for-carers/
Services you can get in contact with for support:
If you are a carer, the helpline advisers can give you information to help make decisions about your personal support needs and the needs of the person you're looking after.
This information includes assessments, benefits, direct payments, individual budgets, time off and maintaining, leaving or going back to work or education. The Carers Direct helpline doesn't however; provide personal financial, medical or legal advice and doesn't provide casework, advocacy, representation or counselling.
We work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.
We do this with a UK wide network of quality assured independent partners and through the provision of grants to help carers get the extra help they need to live their own lives.
Rethink Mental Illness was established by carers over 40 years ago and carers continue to play a key role at every level within our organisation. Supporting carers and giving them and those they care for a voice in every aspect of mental health provision is a key aim for us.
We provide services in the heart of local communities, in the comfort of people’s own homes, and specialist care and support services. Our professional, caring employees and volunteers deliver our services with dignity, respect and compassion, focusing on outcomes that help the people we support have the freedom to enjoy an everyday life.
Helping Cambridgeshire parents who have children with additional needs and disabilities. Pinpoint Cambridgeshire is run for parents – by parents. We give help and information to parent carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with additional needs and disabilities, and give parent carers opportunities to have a say and get involved in improving local services.
Have created a central place for parents to explore, where they can find information, resources & tools - from practical advice on how to talk to your children about the pandemic, to tips on managing anxiety.
If you are a young person and feel like you are providing a caring role to someone in your family please click here